Bilfinger Berger Assembles Massive Natural Gas Storage Facility in Austria

Bilfinger Berger has completed the order for extensive assembly work of the largest natural gas storage facility in Austria. The new expansion phase doubles the capacity of the Haidach storage facility near Salzburg to approximately 2.4 billion cubic meters of natural gas.

This is equivalent to around one third of Austria’s annual requirements. The order volume for the work for Rohölaufsuchungsgesellschaft RAG, one of Europe’s leading storage operators, amounts to €20 million.

For the construction of the central station and two compressor units, Bilfinger Berger Industrial Services installed a total of 1,700 tons of equipment and 850 tons of piping, which is exposed to pressure of more than 200 bar. One of the particular challenges was linking the new installation to the existing storage facility. Around 100 connection points were created to connect to the existing piping systems while the facility remained in operation.

Underground natural gas storage plays an important role in securing energy supply in Europe. It helps to compensate for delivery shortages and demand peaks. With an annual volume of approximately €100 million, projects in the areas of gas supply, hydroelectric power and district heating are one of the main focal points of activities at Bilfinger Berger Industrial Services in Austria.

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Source:Bilfinger Berger , July 5, 2011;