Munich, 5 April 2019. – Today, together with the Bavarian Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Hubert Aiwanger, bayernets GmbH celebrated the commissioning of the MONACO natural gas pipeline in the community of Finsing (in the Erding district). The MONACO pipeline has been in operation since December 2018 and runs from the German-Austrian border in Burghausen to Finsing near Munich. It is one of the largest pipeline construction projects in the gas industry in southern Germany.
“We want an overall concept for a secure, affordable and sustainable energy supply. Natural gas plays a significant role in this concept. In order to balance out the volatility, we need regional and climate-friendly gas power stations in addition to developing renewable energy. These power stations must be able to rely on a secure supply of natural gas. Among other things, the MONACO pipeline makes an important contribution to achieving this security of supply to Bavaria”, said Bavaria’s Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Hubert Aiwanger.
“We are very proud as a company that we could successfully commission the MONACO natural gas pipeline at the end of last year as planned. With the MONACO pipeline we increase the security of supply for Bavaria and the whole South German region. MONACO makes a significant contribution to meeting increasing demand for gas shipping capacity in Germany and Europe by connecting national and international transmission systems”, explained Dr. Matthias Jenn, Managing Director of bayernets GmbH.
The underground pipeline has a total length of approx. 87 kilometres, a diameter of 1.2 metres and leads through the districts of Altötting, Mühldorf am Inn and Erding in the administrative region of Upper Bavaria. The construction project means that the transmission system operator bayernets has invested more than 200 million euros in total in the Bavarian gas infrastructure. More information (in German) on the MONACO pipeline is available at http://monaco.bayernets.de.
As a transmission system operator bayernets is playing an active role in developing the natural gas network in Germany to be in line with future demand. As a measure incorporated in the Network Development Plan Gas, the MONACO pipeline increases the security of supply for utility companies, regional suppliers, trade and industry in the bayernets network area.
The biggest technical challenges posed by the construction works were laying approx. 1,200 metres of pipeline in wet areas of the rivers Sempt and Schwillach in the Erding district, tunneling approx. 700 metres under the Inn and Innwerkkanal near Kraiburg am Inn in the district of Mühldorf am Inn, crossing the Alz and Alzkanal in the disctrict of Altötting as well as pipeline installation in the area of Mörntal in the districts of Altötting and Mühldorf am Inn, also with an approximate length of 700 metres.
Along the pipeline route, renaturalisation works are planned to take place during the first half of 2019. Renaturalisation means that unrestricted agricultural use of the land taken for the construction works will be ensured. In addition to this, roads and tracks will be restored in close consultation with the responsible communities and transport authorities.
Captions:
MONACO Picture 1
Celebrating the commissioning of the MONACO natural gas pipeline (from left to right): Ulrike Scharf (MdL, former Bavarian State Minister of the Environment and Consumer Protection), Andreas Wimmer (Second Mayor of the Community of Finsing), Dr. Florian Bieberbach (CEO of Stadtwerke München GmbH), State Minister Hubert Aiwanger (Bavarian State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy) and Dr. Matthias Jenn (Managing Director of bayernets GmbH). – Quelle: bayernets GmbH
MONACO Picture 2
Caption: Construction of the MONACO pipeline: lowering of a pipeline segment and backfilling of the trench (source: bayernets GmbH)
MONACO Picture 3
Caption: Construction of the MONACO pipeline: pipelayers lower the pipeline segment into the trench (source: bayernets GmbH)