Construction begins on the Wardenburg-Drohne pipeline

OGE’s Wardenburg-Drohne (WAD) natural gas pipeline will run for approximately 90 km across the federal states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. The relevant approval authorities – the State Office for Mining, Energy, and Geology in Hanover for Lower Saxony and the Detmold district authorities for North Rhine-Westphalia – have now granted planning approval, clearing the way for construction to begin.

The WAD pipeline forms the second section of the Etzel-Wardenburg-Drohne natural gas pipeline, which has a total length of 150 km. The first section, spanning 60 km, runs from Etzel to Wardenburg, and the second section from Wardenburg to Drohne, which is approximately 90 km long, is now entering the construction phase. About 85 km of the route lies in Lower Saxony. Designed for an operating pressure of 100 bar, the DN 1000 pipeline will, together with the Etzel–Wardenburg section, help strengthen Germany’s security of gas supply while easing the load on NETRA pipeline and the Wardenburg–Werne pipeline (line no. 58).

The Wardenburg-Drohne pipeline is divided into three construction lots, starting at the NETRA compressor station in Wardenburg and ending at OGE’s gas pressure metering and regulating station in Drohne. Much of the route follows the existing Wardenburg–Werne pipeline (line no. 58) and is scheduled for commissioning in late 2026, although some activities – particularly the land restoration work, which is highly weather-dependent – are expected to continue into 2027. If you have any questions regarding the Wardenburg-Drohne pipeline construction project, please contact us on +49 (0)201-3642-12599 or by email at dialog-wew@oge.net.