DB Cargo doing its part for our energy supply
An efficiently operating infrastructure is crucial to the future viability of our energy supply. This is one of the reasons the LNG import terminal is being connected in record time to the north-west European gas network at the Elbehafen port in Brunsbüttel.
Climate-friendly pipe transport by rail
DB Cargo made an important contribution to this effort by delivering around 3,000 urgently needed pipes via eco-friendly rail transport in the space of a few weeks. The pipes are 18 metres long and about a metre in diameter, and they weigh around five tonnes; they were produced by Mannesmann-Grossrohr GmbH, a subsidiary of Salzgitter AG. The cargo was transported by freight train directly from the plant in Salzgitter to the port in Brunsbüttel, which is becoming an important site for a more secure and sustainable energy supply.
After its completion in time for the start of next winter, the pipeline will extend 55 kilometres from the Brunsbüttel LNG terminal to Hamburg. It will be operated by distribution network operator Gasunie Deutschland. The pipeline’s entire infrastructure is hydrogen-ready, so green hydrogen could also flow through it in the future, further underscoring the project’s importance to the environment.
Final transport concludes successful project
Government and business figures met on the occasion of the final pipe transport at Elbehafen Brunsbüttel, where they were welcomed by Frank Schnabel, Managing Director of Brunsbüttel Ports GmbH. Among those in attendance for the final wagon load were Volker Wissing, Germany’s Federal Minister for Digital and Transport; Dr Sigrid Nikutta, DB Board Member for Freight Transport and CEO of DB Cargo AG; Dr Sebastian Bross, Member of the Executive Board of Salzgitter AG; Jens Schumann, Managing Director of Gasunie Deutschland; and Tobias Goldschmidt, Minister for Energy Transition, Climate Protection, Environment and Nature for the State of Schleswig-Holstein. In a statement at the event, Dr Nikutta emphasised the important logistical role played by rail freight transport in Germany’s energy supply.
“A chain is only as strong as its links. This is also true of supply chains, and of the energy transition in Germany. Hand in hand, we’re turning the challenge into an opportunity, and rail freight transport is playing an important role in all of the logistical aspects. DB Cargo has delivered thousands of large-diameter pipes to the LNG terminal in Wilhelmshaven and now to Brunsbüttel – quickly and on time. We thank our innovative customers like Salzgitter AG for their collaboration in this forward-looking project,” Nikutta said.
For more information visit www.dbcargo.com
14th February 2023
