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The operators of the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline are relying on control and safety technology from Bilfinger. The industrial services provider has won the order for development, delivery and commissioning of the process control and monitoring systems for operation of the pipeline. Order volume for the implementation of the systems is more than €15 million.

Group company Bilfinger GreyLogix, part of the Engineering & Technologies segment, will assume responsibility for execution of the project. The specialist for process control technology is also playing a leading role in the operating phase of the Nord Stream gas pipeline. The company has carved out a leading international position for itself in recent years, particularly in the oil and gas sector.

Tom Blades, CEO at Bilfinger: “The order covers a broad spectrum of services and displays the outstanding competences we have in each of them: from monitoring and control systems through to safety technologies and also including fire and gas systems. We are also contributing our technology expertise to the project – expertise that we built up in the operation of the Nord Stream pipeline. This order is evidence of our quality and our position as a leading provider of process control technology.”

For operation of the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline, Bilfinger will take over management of the process control and safety systems in the landfall stations on the Russian and on the German Baltic Sea costs as well as in the planned control center for the pipeline in Zug, Switzerland. Nord Stream 2 is an infrastructure project for the construction of a natural gas export pipeline through the Baltic Sea from the St. Petersburg region to the German Baltic Sea coast in Lubmin. The pipeline will have a transport capacity of 55 billion m³ of natural gas annually. This is enough to cover the needs of about 26 million households in Europe. Construction of the roughly 1,200 kilometer Baltic Sea pipeline is planned for 2018/19. According to information from the operator, it is expected to go into operation at the end of 2019.

About Bilfinger

From consulting through to engineering, manufacturing and assembly: we deliver all services throughout the life cycle of an industrial facility. We advise, design and develop, we erect, manufacture and assemble, we assume responsibility for project management, supply components and commission plants. We provide our customized and pioneering solutions for the design, development and erection of new plants as well as for the modification, expansion and shut-down of existing plants.

About Nord Stream 2

Nord Stream 2 is a planned pipeline through the Baltic Sea, which will transport natural gas over 1,200 km from the world’s largest gas reserves in Russia via the most efficient route to consumers in Europe. Nord Stream 2 will largely follow the route and design of the successful Nord Stream Pipeline. With Europe’s domestic gas production projected to halve in the next 20 years, Nord Stream 2’s twin pipeline system will help Europe to meet its future gas import needs. It has the capacity to transport 55 billion cubic metres of gas per year, enough to supply 26 million European households.

This secure supply of natural gas, with its low CO2 emissions, will also contribute to Europe’s objective to have a more climate-friendly energy mix with gas substituting for coal in power generation and providing back-up for intermittent renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar power.

Nord Stream 2 builds on the successful experience of construction and operation of the Nord Stream gas pipeline (2012 – to present). Already during construction, Nord Stream was recognised as a benchmark project in terms of compliance with stringent industrial and environmental safety requirements as well as stakeholder engagement. This gas pipeline has become a symbol of mutually beneficial international cooperation and a key element of the European energy security. The results of annual monitoring show that the environmental impact caused by the construction and operation of Nord Stream was minor, local and short term only and, in some cases, considerably lower than predicted by the original environmental impact assessments.

The Nord Stream 2 project was initiated by PJSC Gazprom and is supported by a number of leading international energy companies Uniper SE and BASF SE/Wintershall Holding GmbH (Germany),
Royal Dutch Shell plc (the UK and the Netherlands), OMV AG (Austria) and Engie S.A. (France).