Friedrich Vorwerk Group, a leading energy infrastructure provider, has been awarded a major contract to build three additional sections of the South German natural gas pipeline (SEL), according to a press release issued by the company on Monday, June 24, 2024.

The contract, valued in the high double-digit million-euro range, is part of a joint venture with Terranets bw, the gas transmission system operator. It builds upon an earlier project awarded to the same consortium in 2023.

The three new sections total 43km and will extend the pipeline from Löchgau to Esslingen am Neckar, planned to begin operations in  late 2025. 

The latest development follows the first section, a 24-kilometer stretch between Heilbronn and Löchgau, which is nearing completion by the end of 2024.

Planned to stretch for about 250km from Lampertheim to Bissingen, the SEL pipeline project is one of the largest pipeline construction projects in Germany. It is designed to connect modern gas-fired power plants to the existing grid and aims to ensure a stable supply of heat and electricity while facilitating the retirement of coal-fired power generation.

From 2030 onwards, the SEL pipeline will also be equipped to transport hydrogen, making it the first in Germany with a connection to European hydrogen transport routes. 

The new pipeline project will contribute significantly to the development of a CO2-neutral energy supply for the Rhine-Neckar region and the greater Stuttgart area.

Construction of the remaining pipeline sections is subject to future demand over the next decade and tendered in the coming years.