MEGAL Gas Pipeline
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MEGAL Gas Pipeline, also called the Waidhaus - Meddelsheim Pipeline, is an operating natural gas pipeline in Germany.[1]
Location
The main leg of the pipeline, MEGAL Nord, runs from Waidhaus, on the border with Czechia, through Rothenstadt, Renzenhof, Rimpar, Gernsheim, and Mittelbrunn, to Medelsheim, on the border with France. A second leg of the pipeline, MEGAL Süd, runs from Oberkappel, on the border with Austria, to Schwandorf.
MEGAL Nord connects with the Czech gas system at Waidhaus; with the Werne-Schlüchtern-Rimpar Gas Pipeline at Rimpar; with the MIDAL Gas Pipeline, the METG Pipeline, and the Werne-Gernsheim Gas Pipeline at Gernsheim; with the Trans Europa Naturgas Pipeline at Mittelbrunn; and with the French gas system at Medelsheim. MEGAL Süd connects via a spur to MEGAL Nord from Schwandorf to Rothenstadt, and to the West Austria Gas Pipeline at Oberkappel.
Project Details
- Operator: Mittel-Europäische-Gasleitungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG
- Owner: Mittel-Europäische-Gasleitungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG
- Parent Company: Open Grid Europe (51%), GRTgaz (49%)
- Current capacity: 22 billion cubic meters per year
- Length: 693 miles / 1,115 kilometers
- Diameter: 35 inches, 47 inches[2]
- Status: Operating
- Start Year: 1980
Background
The pipeline transports natural gas from the Czech–German and Austrian–German borders to the German–French border.[3] Construction started in 1975 when Ruhrgas and Gaz de France formed a partnership (Mittel-Europäische-Gasleitungsgesellschaft, or MEGAL) for transportation of Russian natural gas to France and southern Germany. The pipeline was commissioned in 1980.[4] The pipeline cost €634 million.[5]
In July 2009, the European Commission fined GDF Suez, now Engie, and E.ON €553 million each due to collusion on the MEGAL pipeline. Commission officials claimed there was a deal between the two groups’ predecessor companies – Gaz de France and Ruhrgas – not to sell gas sent via MEGAL into each other's home markets dating from the mid-1970s. The Commission alleged that the companies maintained these arrangements after European gas markets were liberalized despite knowing that the 1975 deal violated competition rules.[5] They were at the time the second largest fines imposed by the European Commission and the first on the energy sector.[5][6] The decision was contested by both companies, who argued that the business rules in 1975 differed from those of today.[6][7]
Technical description
The whole pipeline system is 1,115 km (693 mi) long.[8] It comprises two pipelines—MEGAL Nord and MEGAL Süd. The MEGAL Nord pipeline consists of two parallel pipelines with a length of 459 km (258 mi) and 449 km (279 mi) from Waidhaus to Medelsheim. It is operated at a pressure of 80 bar (1160 psi), which is secured by three compressor stations.[8] The capacity of the pipeline is 22 billion cubic feet of natural gas per year, or a little more than 60 million cubic meters per day.[3]
The 167-km (104-mi) long MEGAL Süd pipeline between Oberkappel and Schwandorf is operated at a pressure of 67.5 bar, which is secured by two compressor stations. The connecting pipeline between MEGAL Nord and MEGAL Süd is 40-km (25-mi) long and it is connected in Rothenstadt and Schwandorf.[8]
The MEGAL pipeline crosses the Trans Europa Naturgas Pipeline and the Remich pipeline at Mittelbrunn, the SETG (pipeline from the German-Dutch border) at Gernsheim, and the pipeline going to the Ruhr Industrial Area at Rimpar.[8]
Hydrogen readiness
This pipeline is part of the network of pipelines intended to be repurposed to carry Hydrogen as part of the European Hydrogen backbone.[9] The project, while in the early stages of development, estimates that this pipeline will be able to carry a blend of Hydrogen (estimated to initially be 5-10%) by 2030.[10][11]
Articles and resources
References
- ↑ MEGAL pipeline, Wikipedia, accessed April 2018
- ↑ Germany, Netherlands and Czech Republic Pipelines map, Theodora, accessed January 30, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Amarendra Bhushan (2009-07-08). "European Union fines E.On AG and GDF Suez euro 553 million each for Megal pipeline for breaking antitrust regulations". CEOWORLD Magazine. Lucentbyte Media Technologies. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Landmarks in history". Gazprom Export. Archived from the original on 2007-07-16. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Nikki Tait (2009-07-08). "Brussels fines GDF and Eon €1.1bn". Financial Times. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Ian Traynor (2009-07-08). "Brussels levies €1.1bn fine on gas pact pair". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ Peter Dinkloh; Marie Maitre; Muriel Boselli (2009-07-08). "EU cracks down on gas dominance of E.ON, GDF Suez". Reuters. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "MEGAL Pipeline System". GRTgaz Deutschland GmbH. Archived from the original on 2011-06-18. Retrieved 2010-03-28.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (help) - ↑ "European Hydrogen Backbone Network Map". European Hydrogen Backbone. Retrieved 30/09/2022.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Country Specific Developments". European Hydrogen Backbone. Retrieved 09/30/2022.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ FNBGas. "Hydrogen network 2030: towards a climate-neutral Germany" (PDF). FNBGas. Retrieved 09/30/2022.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
Related GEM.wiki articles
Natural Gas Pipelines in Europe
External resources
External articles
Wikipedia also has an article on MEGAL pipeline (MEGAL pipeline). This article may use content from the Wikipedia article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License].
