In July, the connections to the network and the commissioning of the third and fourth sections of the Poggio Renatico – Cremona natural gas pipeline were completed. Sixty-five kilometres of pipeline which, added to the 85 kilometres of the first two sections laid, complete a work which began in 2010 and now extends for round 150 kilometres. The natural gas pipeline, designed to strengthen one of the most important gas networks in the North of Italy, has a diameter of 1.2 metres and a working pressure of 75 bars.

Its construction, which took less than three years, involved numerous companies employing work vehicles and specialized equipment and hundreds of highly qualified workers and engineers for a total of over 2 million working hours. Over the next few months, users currently supplied by the previous Minerbio – Cremona pipeline, which was built at the start of the fifties and is currently under decommissioning, will be connected to the new pipeline.

The route runs East-West across the Po Valley, crossing 39 municipalities in Emilia Romagna and Lombardy. To minimize the environmental impact of the work site, several trenchlesstechnologies such as minitunnels, controlled horizontal drilling and direct pipes were adopted; this enabled Snam Rete Gas to minimize the impact of the excavation and pipe laying works, particularly in areas of high naturalistic value, and to cross large watercourses including rivers such as Reno, Panaro, Secchia, Enza, Taro and Po, as well as many canals, using non-invasive techniques.

The implementation of the entire project also included a specific ante and post operam monitoring plan specifically requested during the Environmental Impact Assessment phase and in coordination with the Environmental Protection Agencies (ARPA) of the regions crossed by the natural gas pipeline. After the pipeline lay-down, Snam Rete Gas carried out morphological and environmental.

About Snam Rete Gas
Snam Rete Gas is the leader in Italy in the transport and dispatching of natural gas, where it features excellent skills in terms of technology, research and safety.