Foundation stone laid for the OPAL gas pipeline: a key step toward a secure supply of natural gas in Germany and Europe

Today the foundation stone was laid for the Baltic Sea Pipeline Link (known in German as the Ostsee-Pipeline-Anbindungs-Leitung, or OPAL) in the town of Lubmin, near Greifswald. On this occasion, Jochen Homann, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, highlighted the project's significance in helping Germany and Europe to achieve a secure supply of natural gas.

"As a relatively low-carbon energy source, natural gas will necessarily play a key role in Europe's energy supply, both now and in the future," stated Mr. Homann. "Germany's and Europe's dependence on gas imports from non-EU countries will increase in the future due to declining gas production in the EU Member States. Investment in infrastructure is therefore an essential precondition for achieving a secure energy supply. That's why today's laying of the foundation stone for OPAL represents a key contribution to energy security in both Germany and Europe."

The Nord Stream Pipeline and OPAL form a unified project geared toward harnessing a secure supply of energy. The OPAL pipeline will connect Germany and Europe with natural gas reserves in Siberia via the Nord Stream Pipeline. OPAL will link up with the Nord Stream Pipeline in Lubmin. With an annual capacity of 35 billion cubic metres, OPAL will transport natural gas across a distance of over 470 kilometres to the German-Czech border via the German federal states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Brandenburg and Saxony, to be distributed in both Germany and Europe.