International and National High-Pressure Pipelines

International high pressure pipelines provide direct and reliable links from producers to consumers. These immense achievements of engineering remain the main way for vast international flows of gas. One recently completed project is the Nordstream phase 2 (inaugurated in October 2012) which connects Russia directly to Germany via the Baltic Sea.

Given its length of 1 200 kilometres it is the world’s longest underwater natural gas pipeline. Before the end of 2012, construction began on the SouthStream project to bring gas from Russia across the Black Sea to Bulgaria and onwards to Italy and Austria.

Generally, even larger investments in gas transmission pipelines are taking place in individual countries, particularly in the USA and in China. The shale gas revolution in North America changed indigenous supply patterns and led to many new onshore pipeline projects to enable higher levels of gas production to be brought to market. In the US, however, several of the main shale gas formations are relatively well located, either close to the final market or within the economic reach of existing infrastructure. In contrast, the geographical challenge to deliver indigenous natural gas to the main consuming areas has been far more demanding in China. The final length of the second West-East Pipeline linking gas production in the west to consuming areas in the east was over 8 700 kilometres, including both east and west sections and eight branches, making it probably the world’s longest natural gas pipeline.

Construction of a third West-East Pipeline of similar proportions was already well under way by the end of 2012 as demand for natural gas in China continues to grow rapidly.

Figure 4 - Analysis is based on the eight IGU regions

Date: 2015-04-20; view: 971