EUSAL gas transmission pipeline from Erftstadt to Euskirchen receives planning permission

Construction to start in mid-September 2020

On 18 August 2020, Open Grid Europe GmbH was granted planning permission by the Cologne district government for the EUSAL transmission pipeline. This means that all legal requirements for the construction of the 18-kilometer natural gas pipeline from Erftstadt to Euskirchen have been met.

The pipeline will have a diameter of DN 400 and has been approved for operation at pressures of up to 100 bar. Preparations in the field, including ordnance clearance and archaeological investigations, will begin in the week commencing 31 August 2020. Removal of the topsoil, which marks the start of construction, is scheduled for mid-September 2020. The main construction activities will start in March 2021, with completion scheduled for autumn 2021.

During the approval process, all planning approval documents were available for inspection at the offices of the municipalities and they were posted on the Cologne district government website. Citizens affected by the project as well as towns, cities, municipalities and specialist authorities were involved in the planning approval process.

The new pipeline link will facilitate the urgent transition of regional and municipal gas grids from low-calorific natural gas (L-gas) to high-calorific natural (H-gas) gas in the Euskirchen area in 2022 and in the Bonn-Euskirchen area in 2023, thereby ensuring security of supply for private households and industry.