Our Haidach natural gas storage facility secure energy for Germany and Europe. astora GmbH & Co. KG

Transcription

1 Our Haidach natural gas storage facility secure energy for Germany and Europe. astora GmbH & Co. KG Phone: Kleine Rosenstraße 1 kontakt@astora.de Kassel

2 We are delighted to welcome you to Haidach in Austria. Welcome to Haidach, A traditional trading hub: Haidach in the state of Salzburg. The area around Haidach has long been associated with extensive trade - with traces leading back to Roman times. The coat of arms of this market town - a road with four my name is Markus Radmacher. I am pleased to take you through our brochure on the horseshoes flanked by six pebbles - clearly illustrates this fact: The major trading route Haidach natural gas storage facility. to Salzburg has always run through this area and goods have been traded in the area from time immemorial. And today natural gas is traded and stored there. Operating and marketing natural gas storage facilities are not just a profession of mine, they are also partly a calling. As a qualified mining engineer, my work naturally involves When regarding our natural gas storage facility, we can look back on a successful history: processes far below the surface of the earth as well as a variety of other topics of the Haidach is quite literally a picture-book storage facility. From the outset, the discovery of energy sector. Since 1998, I have been working for the natural gas company WINGAS in a the natural gas reservoir in 1997 was one of the biggest deposits ever detected in Austria, number of different positions in Germany and abroad. When the storage division was set with a total volume of 4.3 billion cubic metres. Before production ended, the decision had up in 2006, I was initially responsible for marketing storage capacities. In 2013, I took over already been taken to use the site as a pore storage facility for natural gas, given its ideal the storage operations division of astora, which in the meantime has become a legally geological conditions. After just two years of conversion work, the first construction phase separate storage company. of the new natural gas storage facility came on stream in Before we start, I d like to tell you more about our natural gas storage facility: The Haidach Natural gas storage facilities play a key role in the energy sector. Not only do they ensure storage facility, located about 30 kilometres North-East of Salzburg, is the second largest security of supply, they also greatly facilitate trading natural gas. natural gas storage facility in Central Europe. It was commissioned in After a second construction phase, storage volumes doubled in 2011, from 1.3 to 2.6 billion cubic metres. What is a pore storage facility? The Haidach storage facility has been operated as a joint venture between Gazprom export, Pore storage facilities are natural rock formations, usually porous strata of RAG Rohöl-Aufsuchungs Aktiengesellschaft (RAG) and astora from the outset. astora is sandstone or limestone. Millions of years ago, natural gas was collected in responsible for marketing one third of the total storage capacities. pores and cracks formed in these strata. The gas was then trapped in these cavities by impermeable cap rock. After production, the reservoirs can be So, in addition to the two German sites at Jemgum and Rehden, the natural gas storage re-filled as natural storage facilities. When operating storage facilities, facility at Haidach is another important pillar of the European energy supply. a certain quantity of gas, known as base gas or cushion gas, permanently remains in storage so that the pressure required for taking any gas off can Markus Radmacher, Head of Department Storage Operations Are you ready for a site visit? Then, let s go... be maintained. The geological composition of these natural storage facilities guarantees absolute impermeability. Yours Markus Radmacher 2 3

3 If we stored our natural gas from Haidach in cans, we d have a lot to do. The Energiewende can be achieved with natural gas storage facilities, even when renewable energy supplies are unavailable. The Haidach natural gas storage facility is one of the largest natural gas storage facilities in Central Europe. With a capacity of 2.6 billion cubic metres of usable natural gas (working gas), it is one of the most important pillars of energy supply in Europe. But it In Europe, and particularly in Germany, society is facing the enormous challenge of generat- is difficult to grasp the extent of this capacity. The following example provides clarity: ing energy in a way that is sustainable, safe, and environmentally friendly. Energy sources, If one filled standard 0.33 litre beverage cans with the stored natural gas, and then such as wind, sun, and water, referred to as renewable energies, play a key role in meeting stacked the cans on top of each other, the stack would reach up about 2,300 times higher this challenge. But what happens if the sun does not shine, the wind does not blow, or the than the distance between the earth and the moon. Approximately 7,800 billion cans water does not flow? This is precisely when natural gas storage facilities ensure security of would be needed to hold all the natural gas. supply if necessary for several weeks at a time. By storing natural gas, it is possible to offer the market flexibility and security, as the quan- There has been a rethinking on the use of nuclear power in Germany and Austria. Nuclear tities of natural gas imported do not always cover the actual demand. This means it is possible, energy is to be replaced with new, environmentally friendly generating models. Yet despite for example, to balance peak demand over the winter months as well as daily fluctuations. all the euphoria about renewable energies and green power generation, there is one sig- This particularly affects such countries that have to import natural gas for their energy supply. nificant disadvantage: The uncertainty continues as to whether the wind is going to blow and thus, driving the wind turbines, or whether the photovoltaic systems will be exposed to The Haidach storage facility is connected to the Haiming natural gas hub on the German/ enough hours of sun. The process of generating energy from hydropower is also subject to Austrian border near Burghausen. The pore storage facility therefore not only secures natural fluctuations. regional demand, it also contributes to security of supply in Europe. In this situation, natural gas storage facilities clearly have a valuable role to play in the mix of How can the Haidach storage facility contribute secure and forward-looking energy supply. Only they are able to store primary energy in large to the security of supply in Austria? quantities and supply it to consumers or power stations at short notice via the existing natural The Haidach storage facility could cover around gas network when required. So storage facilities such as Haidach guarantee warm houses in 30 percent of Austria s annual demand, which is the cold winter months and secure power generation, for example by high-efficiency gas-fired approximately 8 billion cubic metres. power plants. How does the natural gas get to Haidach? A close-meshed natural gas transport network has been built in Europe over the last 50 years, now covering a distance of over 190,000 kilometres. This pipeline network system stretches from the North and Baltic Seas to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the Atlantic Ocean to Eastern Europe and Siberia. The natural gas storage facilities are located along these long-distance routes, so natural gas can be picked up or injected 4 as and when required. 5

4 The Haidach natural gas storage facility facts and figures: Storage area: 17.5 km2 Storage area depth: 1,600 m Geological formation: Sandstone Original reservoir capacity: 4.3 billion m3 Working gas volume: 2.6 billion m3 Maximum injection rate: 1.0 million m3/h Maximum withdrawal rate: 1.1 million m3/h We store natural gas. in pretty Haidach You want further pictures and impressions? Scan the adjoining QR-code on the side with your tablet or smartphone.

5 The Haidach natural gas storage facility is a key success factor for the economy at a local, national, and European level. The Haidach natural gas facility number one in environmental protection, occupational safety, and plant safety. Natural gas storage facilities not only provide security for the energy supply, they also boost the economy. This can clearly be seen when we take a look at the process of converting the Haidach natural gas reservoir into the cutting-edge storage facility that it is now. For instance, huge investments were made and more than 300 natural gas specialists from throughout Europe were involved in bringing the project to fruition. This stimulates the whole country, not just the region. But the economy has not just benefited from the direct investments, the indirect effects have also been significant. For instance, if problems in natural gas imports lead to a temporary shortfall in the supply volume, natural gas storage facilities such as Haidach not only secure a basic supply of gas for the population, they also guarantee the continuation of industrial production processes and meet heating requirements in many other sectors. Therefore, natural gas storage facilities significantly ensure the continued availability of energy as well as the economic success of dozens of sectors, including the jobs of those working in these sectors. In economic terms, where is natural gas most commonly used? Natural gas is used most frequently in the heating sector. For example, according to the Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft (BDEW, German Association of Energy and Water Industries), approximately 327 billion kilowatt hours of gas were consumed in Germany in the household and commercial sectors in Around 352 billion kilowatt hours of gas were consumed in industry. In the same period, approximately 120 billion kilowatt hours of gas were used to generate electricity in power stations. Three billion kilowatt hours were consumed for cars. At astora, financial interests do not prevail over health, safety, or environmental issues. This philosophy forms part of the astora management system, and guides all our actions and decisions. The Haidach natural gas storage facility was built in accordance with the highest environmental and safety standards. And not just to meet requirements. Responsibility for people and the environment is our primary concern at astora. This applies not only for the planning and construction phases, but also for ongoing operation. A team of 13 employees from RAG is responsible for the technical operation of the storage facility on site. The specially trained experts perform all the requisite monitoring, checking, repair, and maintenance work. And this approach has proven successful, as the storage facility has been operating without incidents since it came on stream. Over 2,000 helping hands Over 1,000 employees from various companies and organisations were involved in the construction phase of the Haidach natural gas storage facility. Despite the high degree of complexity of such a project, the construction phase proceeded accident free, thanks to the most stringent safety standards. 8 9

6 Joint success with foresight: the Haidach storage team. We store natural gas. The Haidach natural gas storage facility is a joint international project boasting a strong team. As in sports, each partner contributes its individual strengths, so that everyone will ultimately benefit from them. A true win-win situation for everybody involved. Due to its ideal location at the German/Austrian border crossing point at Haiming near Burghausen, the Haidach natural gas storage facility has been directly connected to the pipeline network. This means that the storage facility is directly integrated into the German and, therefore, European network infrastructure. The Haidach storage facility, thus, ensures energy supply security in Europe. The Austrian company RAG is responsible for planning, construction, and technical operation at the natural gas storage facility, while Gazprom export and astora market the storage facility s capacities. What do volleyball and the natural gas team at Haidach have in common? Just as the different volleyball players contribute their individual skills to a successful game, so are the three partners that are working together at the natural gas storage facility for achieving shared success: ensuring secure and efficient operation, marketing the storage capacities in an economically viable way, and supplying the population and industry with natural gas. 10 astora GmbH & Co. KG, Kleine Rosenstraße 1, Kassel Phone.: , kontakt@astora.de, Photo credits: Bernd Schoelzchen, RAG Rohöl-Aufsuchungs Aktiengesellschaft, Wattendorff GmbH, Wintershall Holding GmbH Concept, copy and design: CREAVIVA Dialogmarketing GmbH & Co. KG 11