The LNG import terminal in the Elbe port of Brunsbüttel is currently being connected to the North West European gas grid in record time.
"Brunsbüttel stands for a new Germany pace like hardly any other project. In a very short time, thanks to the perfect interplay of logistics, the energy industry, and politics, the conditions for a terminal were created here that will contribute significantly to our independence from Russian energy imports," explains the importance of this terminal Volker Wissing, Federal Minister for Digital Affairs and Transport.
DB Cargo delivered around 3,000 pipes by rail in just a few weeks. The 18-metre-long pipes, which weigh around five tonnes and have a diameter of 0.8 metres, were produced by Salzgitter AG subsidiary Mannesmann-Grossrohr GmbH. The cargo was transported by freight train directly from the Salzgitter plant to the Elbe port of Brunsbüttel.
"The LNG terminals and connecting pipelines are of elementary importance for Germany's future energy supply. With its steel and tube products, the Salzgitter Group is making an important contribution to the development of efficient infrastructure. This project is also a prominent example of this and it shows how important a domestic industrial base is for the functioning of an economy," underlines Sebastian Bross, Group Executive of Salzgitter AG.
When the pipeline of network operator Gasunie Deutschland is completed in time for the start of next winter, it will stretch 55 kilometres from the LNG terminal in the port of Brunsbüttel to Hamburg. As the entire infrastructure is "H2-ready", hydrogen can also flow through the pipeline in the future.
"Once again, the trimodal Elbe port in Brunsbüttel with its high-performance rail connection is making a fundamental contribution to Germany's energy supply security and the energy transition. As an energy hub with nationwide significance, it is therefore enormously important to further expand the rail connection of the Brunsbüttel site to advance the modal shift to rail," highlights the significance of railway Frank Schnabel, Managing Director Brunsbüttel Ports GmbH.
Representatives from the worlds of politics and business gathered at Elbehafen Brunsbüttel for the final pipe transport and were welcomed to the port site by host Frank Schnabel, Managing Director of Brunsbüttel Ports GmbH. The Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, Volker Wissing, was on hand to witness the last wagon load. Sigrid Nikutta, DB Board Member for Freight Transport and Chairman of the Management Board of DB Cargo AG, was also among the guests:
"Successful logistics is part of a successful energy transition. In Brunsbüttel, as in Wilhelmshaven, we are demonstrating that rail can also transport unusual goods such as 18-meter-long pipes quickly and easily. This shows the strength of DB Cargo's network with block trains and single-wagon transport. Thanks to our innovative customer Salzgitter AG for this joint, forward-looking project," concludes Sigrid Nikutta.
