27 million euro order for milestone expansion of the natural gas network

Scheemda

Consortium V.O.F. CS Scheemda builds compressor station for N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie

The consortium V.O.F. CS Scheemda – consisting of A. Hak, Ballast Nedam Infra and Cofely Nederland, with Cofely as secretary – has started construction on a compressor station in Scheemda, Groningen, commissioned by Gasunie. The station is part of the expansion of the Dutch gas transport network known as the North-South Route. This expansion strengthens The Netherlands’ position as the ‘gas hub’ of North-West Europe. As a result, end users – both in The Netherlands and surrounding countries – are ensured of a safe, reliable and constant supply of gas. The construction of the North-South Route is expected to cost 1.1 billion euros in total. The Scheemda compressor station must be put into operation by the end of 2010.

The demand for new transport capacity is increasing. This is because the demand for natural gas is increasing, while the gas stored in Europe is decreasing. As a result, new gas supply lines are being created and gas import is growing. In order to secure the gas supply for the future, Gasunie is expanding its existing gas network by about 500 kilometres. This expansion will make it possible to transport an extra 20 billion cubic metres of gas, an amount corresponding to half of the gas used annually in The Netherlands. The construction of the compressor station in Groningen is a new milestone in the expansion of the Dutch natural-gas transport network. “The expansion of our gas transport network strengthens our key position as the ‘gas hub’ of North-West Europe. This means that end users in The Netherlands and abroad remain assured of a safe, reliable and constant supply of natural gas now and in the future,” emphasises Mr. A. Pijnacker Hordijk, project manager at Gasunie.

A single point of contact for optimum efficiency

This compressor station to be built in Scheemda can compress the (imported) natural gas to the desired pressure, after which the gas can be transported to consumers in The Netherlands and surrounding countries. Cofely, at the head of the consortium, is responsible for the construction of various technical installations: from all of the non-gas pipes to the electrical engineering and instrumentation and all of the building-related installations. Ballast Nedam Infra is taking care of the civil engineering and structural parts of the project and A. Hak is responsible for all of the gas pipes. Thanks to this division of tasks, the knowledge, expertise and added value of each of the different parties is ideally utilised. The collaboration with a consortium also allows Gasunie to have only a single point of contact – which also contributes to the total efficiency.

COFELY a GDF SUEZ company

Cofely is part of GDF SUEZ Energy Services, the European leader in multitechnical services. GDF SUEZ Energy Services offers its customers in industry, services, and infrastructures made-to-measure solutions, whether in the fields of engineering, installations or energy services.

GDF SUEZ Energy Services employs 80,000 people and achieved revenues of € 14 billion in 2008. GDF SUEZ Energy Services is a business line of GDF SUEZ, one of the leading energy providers in the world.