Rotterdam, 19 February 2009 - Eneco Holding NV has granted the “ARGE” consortium, consisting of the Dutch Visser & Smit Hanab and the German PPS Pipelines, the assignment for the construction and maintenance of an underground gas storage facility in 2 salt caverns in Epe, Germany.
Eneco rents 2 salt caverns near the city of Epe since 2007. These salt caverns are formed as the result of salt leaching activities and are subsequently used for the storage of natural gas. By connecting the caverns to the Dutch gas grid, energy company Eneco can better respond to the developments on the Dutch gas market and better serve its gas customers in a competitive market. The flexible deployment of gas is a particularly important pillar of Eneco’s sustainability strategy. The use of wind energy, which is unpredictable in nature, will increase substantially and can be balanced by means of efficient gas plants which in turn receive the gas from flexible gas storage installations. This way Eneco customers are ensured of not only the reliable and affordable but also clean supply of energy.
The ARGE consortium will be responsible for the design, construction and maintenance of the entire installation. The installation makes it possible to inject gas into the caverns and also to extract gas from the storage. The installation will have an injection capacity of 200,000 cubic metre (Nm³)/hour and a production capacity of 400,000 Nm³/hour. Construction of the installation will start in the 3rd quarter of 2009.
The construction of the gas storage facility in Epe, from which gas can quickly be obtained, strengthens the position of energy company Eneco on the gas and electricity market. The investment in the project amounts to approximately 200 million euro.