Transmed
The Transmed (spelling also TransMed , short for Trans-Mediterranean Gas Pipeline ), from the year 2000 also called " Enrico Mattei " (GEM) gas pipeline , is an approximately 2500 kilometer long pipeline - route through which natural gas from Algeria via Tunisia through the Mediterranean Sea to Sicily and up to the north of Italy .
The connection was put into operation in 1983 and expanded several times over the following decades. The oil and gas companies Sonatrach on the Algerian side and Eni on the Italian side are in charge of the construction and operation (directly and indirectly through subsidiaries) .
history
The first considerations for building a pipeline connection to Europe began immediately after the discovery of the large Hassi R'Mel gas deposit in Algeria in the mid-1950s. After the gas field had been developed, the plans became more specific from the mid-1960s and feasibility studies were carried out.
After negotiations between Algeria and Italy, the state-owned companies Sonatrach and Eni agreed in principle on the supply of gas in 1972. After Tunisia had also agreed to the passage, the first contract was signed in 1977, which provided for the delivery of 12.3 billion m³ / a over 25 years and the construction of the pipeline intended for this purpose.
Construction work began in 1978. The crossing of the Mediterranean in particular was a pioneering achievement at the time, because the Transmed pipeline was the world's first large submarine pipeline alongside the Ekofisk pipeline (in the North Sea). The laying of the pipeline took over the Eni subsidiary Saipem , for which this the specially built for the occasion , pipelaying -Spezialschiff Castoro Sei used. In 1983 the pipeline was completed and the first gas passed through.
In 1990 Eni and Sonatrach agreed to increase the capacity by 7 billion m³ / a, for which a second line was built between 1991 and 1997 and the compressor stations were upgraded.
In 2000, the Transmed pipeline was named in honor of the Eni manager Enrico Mattei , whose involvement in Algeria had made a significant contribution to the realization of the Algerian-Italian gas supply.
In the years 2007–2008 and 2010–2012, the capacity of the pipeline was increased again, for which additional lines and compressor stations were built. In 2012 the pipelines reached their current capacity of up to 33 billion m³ / a.
Sections and stations of the route
Builder, owner and operator
The builders, owners and operators of the various line sections are:
- The section in Algeria was and is completely under the control of the Algerian state-owned company Sonatrach , which is also the supplier of the gas.
- The section through the national territory of Tunisia was built by the Société pour la Construction du Gazoduc Transtunisien (SCOGAT) on behalf of the Trans-Tunesian Pipeline Company (TTPC) , a 100% subsidiary of Eni. After construction, the TTPC passed the pipeline into the possession of the Tunisian state company Société Tunisienne du Gazoduc Trans-Tunisien (SOTUGAT) , which in return granted Eni the exclusive rights of use. The Tunisian section is operated by the Société de Service du Gazoduc Transtunisien (SERGAZ).
- The Trans-Mediterranean Pipeline Company (TMPC) , a joint subsidiary of Eni and Sonatrach (50% each), is responsible for the construction and operation of the section on which the line crosses the Mediterranean Sea (the Strait of Sicily) .
- The pipeline network in Italy, of which the Transmed pipeline belongs, is operated by Snam Rete Gas , a subsidiary of Eni .
The Italian company Transmed SpA, also a subsidiary of Eni and Sonatrach , has been marketing the transport capacity of the pipeline since 2005 .
Route
The route has a total length of around 2,580 kilometers. 550 km of which are in Algeria, 370 km in Tunisia, 160 km in the Mediterranean Sea and 1,500 km in Italy. The pressure is increased by a compressor station every 150–250 km (a total of eleven intermediate stations).
The pipeline begins at Hassi R'Mel in northern Algeria. Mainly gas is fed in from the gas field there. Smaller shares come from the fields near Hassi Messaoud (Haoud El Hamra) and from the border area with Libya via an upstream pipeline system from the southeast . In the future, the currently (as of 2013) under construction Trans-Sahara pipeline from Nigeria is to be connected here.
From Hassi R'Mel the route runs north-east via a compressor station at Ain Naga (north of the Chott Melrhir ) until it crosses the Algerian-Tunisian border after 550 km at Bir El Ater .
On the Tunisian side, the second section begins at the transfer station Oued Saf Saf (O-Safsaf) , the 370 km long Trans-Tunisian Pipeline (TTPC Pipeline) , which runs through compressor stations at Fériana , Sbeitla , Sbikha and Korba , Menzel Temime , to it reaches the Tunisian coast at El Haouaria near Cape Bon .
From Cape Bon the line crosses the 155 km wide strait of Sicily as an underwater pipeline at a depth of up to 600 m on the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea . This section is also called the TMPC pipeline after the operating company .
At Mazara del Vallo , the line reaches the coast of Sicily . From here the route runs across the island. Compressor stations at Enna in the center of the island and at Messina on the east coast of Sicily provide the necessary pressure increase. After crossing the (compared to the Strait of Sicily) relatively narrow Strait of Messina , the route reaches mainland Italy in Favazzina near Scilla . Other stops along the Italian peninsula are Tarsia , Montesano , Melizzano , Gallese and Terranuova .
The pipeline ends in Minerbio near Bologna in the Po Valley in northern Italy. Here the gas is fed into the northern Italian distribution network. In addition, further pipelines are connected here, via which gas can be delivered to Switzerland (via the Griespass ), to Austria (via Tarvisio ) and to Slovenia (via Gorizia ).
Table overview
Map with all coordinates: The sections of the route in the tabular overview:
Country section |
Section builder / owner / operator |
Section length |
Cross section capacity |
Stations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 AlgeriaGEM pipeline ( fr.Gazoduc Enrico Mattei ) |
Sonatrach | 550 km | 3 x 1200 mm (48 ") 33.15 billion m³ / a |
|
 TunisiaTTPC-Pipeline Trans-Tunisian Pipeline ( fr.Gazoduc Trans-Tunisia ) |
TTPC ( en.Trans -Tunisian Pipeline Company ) SOTUGAT ( fr.Société Tunisienne du Gazoduc Trans-Tunisien ) SERGAZ ( fr.Société de Service du Gazoduc Transtunisien ) |
370 km | 2 × 1200 mm (48 ") |
|
 Mediterranean , Strait of Sicily TMPC pipeline |
TMPC ( Trans-Mediterranean Pipeline Company ) |
155 km | 3 × 510 mm (20 ") + 2 × 660 mm (26") |
- |
 Italy
|
Snam Rete Gas ( Eni ) | 1500 km | 2 × 1200 mm (48 ") (partly 3 × 42") |
|
Economic importance and security
The Transmed pipeline is an important pipeline in the trans-Mediterranean network (in addition to the Maghreb-Europe pipeline , Medgaz , GALSI , Greenstream , ...) Since the producing countries in North Africa (especially Algeria and Libya ) around 60% of the gas requirements of the southern European countries (esp Italy, France, Spain), the availability and security of the line is of great importance for Europe's energy supply. The Transmed management is on the Critical Foreign Dependencies Initiative , a list of the US government that lists infrastructure facilities all over the world that are strategically important for the USA.
Because of the great economic importance of the pipeline, Western countries are paying close attention to political stability and security in the countries of origin and transit. Particularly during the political unrest in Algeria in the 1990s and during the “ Arab Spring ” riots in Algeria and Tunisia in the early 2010s , there were concerns that parts of the pipeline could fall under the control of Islamist extremists who were the Could interrupt supply. In fact, the Algerian gas supply facilities have been the target of terrorist attacks at least twice: In 1997, the Transmed pipeline was out of service for five days after terrorists bombed it. In 2013 In Aménas was taken hostage , although it did not affect the Transmed management directly, but the upstream production.
literature
- Mark H. Hayes: Algerian Gas to Europe: The Transmed Pipeline and Early Spanish Gas Import Projects (= Geopolitics of Gas Working Paper Series . Working Paper # 27). Program on Energy and Sustainable Development, Stanford University, James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, May 2004 ( pesd.fsi.stanford.edu [PDF; 720 kB ]).
- Mark H. Hayes: The Transmed and Maghreb projects . In: David G. Victor , Amy M. Jaffe, Mark H. Hayes (Eds.): Natural Gas and Geopolitics: From 1970 to 2040 . Cambridge University Press, 2006, ISBN 1-139-45902-3 , pp. 48 ff . ( limited preview in Google Book search).
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Andreas Seeliger: The European Natural Gas Supply in Transition (= EWI Working Paper . No. 04-2 ). EWI, February 2004 ( ewi.uni-koeln.de [PDF]).
- ↑ a b c d e Trans-Mediterranean Natural Gas Pipeline, Algeria. hydrocarbons-technology.com, accessed September 24, 2013 .
- ^ A b Hayes 2006: The Transmed and Maghreb projects. (see above, literature section )
- ^ A b c Pipeline Transportation. Sonatrach, accessed on September 29, 2013 (English).
- ↑ a b c d e Transmed. Eni, accessed September 24, 2013 .
- ↑ A. Feizimayr, p Goestl: pipelines - arteries of the economy . In: petroleum natural gas coal . Issue 2 (127th year), 2011, p. 63-67 ( ilf.com [PDF]).
- ↑ Transmed gas pipe capacity report. (No longer available online.) Pipelines International, June 10, 2005, formerly the original ; Retrieved September 29, 2013 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b c The Transtunisian Pipeline. Eni / Trans Tunesian Pipeline Company, accessed September 29, 2013 .
- ↑ a b c Sergaz. Eni, accessed September 29, 2013 .
- ↑ a b c Tunisia. (PDF; 56 kB) Eni, accessed on September 29, 2013 (English).
- ↑ a b c Annual Report 2010 . Snam Rete Gas, San Donato Milanese March 2, 2011, Natural Gas Transportation section ( snam.it [PDF]).
- ^ Eni Fact Book 2004 . Eni, 2004, Section Gas & Power - The Italian Natural Gas System ( eni.com [PDF]).
- ↑ a b Company. Transmed SpA, accessed September 29, 2013 .
- ↑ Expansion of the Transmed pipeline. European Investment Bank, October 16, 2006, accessed October 2, 2013 .
- ^ Snam Rete Gas SpA: Plan for the Implementation of new Capacity and for Development of the Transportation Network . September 1, 2004 ( snamretegas.it [PDF]).
- ↑ a b Compressor Stations. Snam Rete Gas, accessed September 29, 2013 .
- ↑ J. Messner, HG Babies: MENA - The Middle East and North Africa - A key region for the world's oil supply (= Commodity Top News . No. 34 ). German raw materials agency in the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Raw Materials, Hanover March 3, 2011 ( deutsche-rohstoffagentur.de [PDF]).
- ↑ Kirsten Westphal: Global challenges of the energy supply: North Africa. Federal Agency for Civic Education , January 23, 2013, accessed on October 5, 2013 .
- ↑ The Mediterranean region in 2020 and its role in the European energy network. Memo / 95/49. European Commission, March 27, 1995, accessed October 5, 2013 .
- ↑ Wikileaks makes it public: The explosive US list . In: evening newspaper . December 6, 2010 ( abendzeitung.de ( memento of December 8, 2010 in the Internet Archive )). Wikileaks makes it public: The explosive US list ( Memento of the original from December 8, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Hayes 2004: Algerian Gas to Europe…. (see above, literature section )
- ^ Eni CEO, Tunisia Prime Minister Discuss Transmed Pipeline Safety. Offshore Energy Today, April 22, 2013, accessed October 5, 2013 .
- ↑ Eni CEO and Tunisian Prime Minister Discuss Efficiency and Safety of Transmed Gas Pipeline. Subsea World News, April 22, 2013, accessed October 5, 2013 .
- ↑ Jonathan Stern: Security of European Natural Gas Supply. The impact of import dependence and liberalization . Royal Institute of International Affairs, London July 2002.
