Gascade Gastransport GmbH has been granted approval from the State Office for Mining, Energy, and Geology (LBEG) in Clausthal-Zellerfeld in Lower Saxony, Germany, for construction of the Rehden 2 compressor station. Work will begin in May in the district of Diepholz in the joint municipality of Rehden, next to the existing compressor station, the company said in a release May 13.
The expansion of the station is a measure from the Gas Network Development Plan 2022-2032 (NEP) and has been confirmed as necessary by the Federal Network Agency. Capital investment in the project is in the low three-digit million range, the company said.
“As part of the plant expansion, it is planned to build three additional electric compressors, which will be connected to the existing on-site pipeline infrastructure and the Rehden storage facility,” said Gascade project manager Johannes Daum. “The additional compressor power is particularly necessary to feed natural gas into the Northern European Natural Gas Pipeline (NEL) and transport it to East Germany in the direction of Lubmin. An inlet pressure of 100 bar is required for feeding into the NEL, which the existing system in Rehden cannot currently provide.”
Commissioning of the additional compressor units is expected by end-2026, while the completion of the facilities, including buildings, outdoor infrastructure, and recultivation of all building areas, is expected by end-2028.
The expansion will aid in security of supply for Germany and Europe. Once completed, additional entry capacities can be made available at border crossing points Eynatten, Belgium, and Bunde, the Netherlands, the company said.
“To connect the new compressor systems to Gascade’s long-distance gas pipeline network, new connection lines are necessary, which create a connection to Midal (central Germany connection line) and NOWAL (north-west connection line) as well as to the existing compressor station,” said Gascade route engineer Michael Höhlschen.