Services in the area of general planning as well as project management tasks for major construction projects in the energy supply sector — in particular pipeline construction

Gasunie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG (“GUD”) is a transmission system operator within the meaning of the Energy Industry Act (EnWG) and operates a pipeline network of approximately 4,300 km in length in Germany. According to Section 39 of the Ordinance on Access to Gas Supply Networks (GasNZV), if the project is confirmed as a necessary capacity expansion measure in the 2022 NEP, GUD is obliged to establish an energy transport line (ETL) to cover the increased capacity requirements of the Salzgitter steelworks.

According to the current state of planning, the ETL should have a length of approximately 33 km and run between the Salzgitter steelworks and the existing combined cycle system in the Peine/Sophiental area, whereby the exact route or route variants still need to be examined.

The capacity of the ETL should be between 1,700,000 m³/h (Vn) to 3,000,000 m³/h (Vn). This can result in a line diameter of between DN500 — DN1000 (PN84). A transfer station with two to four operational measurement sections is to be set up at the transition point to the existing “legacy system” system of the CCPP. In the course of the development of regional hydrogen demand, it may be necessary to plan an additional H2 pipeline running in parallel. This will be decided as the project progresses and depends on political decisions outside the working group's sphere.

The ETL is scheduled to go into operation as soon as possible, ideally by 01.11.2025 (RFO — Ready for Operation). During the course of the project, continuous coordination with the connection customer, a parallel sequence of individual planning and service phases, and specifications of parallel work in construction are absolutely necessary. It must be taken into account that even after a positive investment decision, the capacity requirements for the ETL can still change, so that all planning can be carried out on a scenario basis and, if necessary, adjusted regularly.

There is an increased risk that the currently planned project will not be realized or will be discontinued in the course of the project due to reasons that are not attributable to the client's fault. Based on this, the basis of the contract to be concluded is that the client may terminate the contract without compensation at any time.