Construction starts on new natural gas pipeline

OGE receives planning permission for the Wardenburg-Drohne pipeline section

Gas network operator Open Grid Europe GmbH (OGE) has received permission from the State Office for Mining, Geology and Energy in Hanover to build the Wardenburg-Drohne (WAD) pipeline in Lower Saxony. The decision marks another step forward in the development of the Etzel-Wardenburg-Drohne natural gas pipeline.

The Wardenburg-Drohne (WAD) pipeline is the second section of the Etzel-Wardenburg-Drohne gas pipeline, which covers a total distance of 150 km. The first 60 km section of the pipeline from Etzel to Wardenburg is already nearing completion and is scheduled to go into operation at the end of 2025. The second section, which is around 90 km long and runs from Wardenburg to Drohne, is now entering the construction phase. The WAD runs through Lower Saxony for approximately 85 km. It has a pipe diameter of DN 1000 mm and is designed for 100 bar. Together with the Etzel-Wardenburg (EWA) pipeline, the WAD will help secure Germany's supply of natural gas and take some of the gas volumes off on the NETRA (Norddeutsche Erdgastransversale) pipeline system and the Wardenburg-Werne pipeline (line No. 58).

The WAD project has been divided into three construction lots. The pipeline starts at the NETRA compressor station in Wardenburg and runs largely parallel to the existing Wardenburg-Werne natural gas pipeline (line No. 58) to Drohne in the municipality of Stemwede in North Rhine-Westphalia. In spring 2024, the WAD project team submitted an application for planning permission to the State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology in Lower Saxony and to the Detmold district government in North Rhine-Westphalia. In Lower Saxony, OGE and its partner companies have now started preparations on site which include setting up and equipping pipe storage areas and preparing excavation pits for pipeline crossings. One of these crossings will be at the Cappel-Hagelage rest area on the A1 motorway, where the construction team will use the proven horizontal directional drilling (HDD) method to dig below the motorway.

The pipelaying and civil engineering work will begin after the preparations have been completed. The construction team has already started to remove the topsoil.

The Wardenburg-Drohne pipeline is scheduled for commissioning at the end of 2026. Some of the work, especially land restoration, which is highly dependent on weather conditions, is expected to continue into 2027.

If you have any questions about the Wardenburg-Drohne pipeline project, please call +49 (0)201-3642-12599 or send an email to dialog-wew@oge.net.