Hamm/Wilhelmshaven (dpa/lnw) - Germany's first liquid gas terminal in Wilhelmshaven is to be connected to the European long-distance gas network with special pipes from Hamm, among other things. NRW Economics Minister Mona Neubaur visited the pipe production facility at Mannesmann Line Pipe, which belongs to the Salzgitter steel group, on Friday. With the steel pipes, the plant not only makes an important contribution to the rapid construction of the LNG terminal, but also to the security of gas supplies in Germany, said the Greens politician. The terminal is scheduled to go into operation next winter. The preparatory work has already started. The operator is the energy company Uniper.
Around 3.3 kilometers of steel pipes for a high-pressure gas pipeline will be produced in Hamm in the coming days. They are to be driven north by truck. The pipes, with a diameter of around 60 centimetres, are intended to direct the gas that has been landed on a special ship to the mainland via a jetty. From there it will then be fed into the European long-distance gas network via a 26-kilometre-long pipeline that is also still to be built by the long-distance gas network operator Open Grid Europe. The pipes for this 26-kilometer line are also manufactured by a Mannesmann subsidiary, Mannesmann Großrohr. They are manufactured in Salzgitter and brought to the construction site in freight wagons.
In addition to Wilhelmshaven, floating LNG terminals are also planned in Brunsbüttel, Stade and Lubmin.
