The pipeline is constructed of segments that are installed beneath several roads and waterbodies using the trenchless installation method, horizontal directional drilling (HDD). This is designed to keep any disruption of the population and the natural environment as low as possible. The egeplast SLM® 3.0 protective-layer pipe system was used for this purpose.
More than 120,000 ft (36,576 m) long and costing approximately €60 million and taking more than 730 days of construction time, Oldenburgische-Ostfriesische Wasserverband (OOWV) is faced with needing to stem a project the scale of which is quite rare in the German water supply system. A supplementary transportation pipeline will safeguard the public water supply of the regional population and to improve the distribution of water quantities in the existing supply network.
“The northwest is becoming more and more thirsty.” Sven Ambrosy, district administrator of the Friesland district and head of the OOWV association, declared about the ever-increasing demand.
The transportation pipeline will connect waterworks in Sandelermöns to the pumped-storage power plant in Diekmannshausen. On its way there, it crosses the districts of Friesland, Wittmund and Wesermarsch. The start of construction was preceded by several years of planning which, among other things, took protection of the local flora and fauna into account. Planning was performed by the engineering office, Lindschulte from Nordhorn, and involved drawing on the expertise of egeplast’s field service and applications engineering throughout the entire planning phase. The first construction phase comprises approximately 16 km of 710 mm diameter egelen pipe.
For approximately 2 km, the SLM® 3.0 Protective layer pipe system will be used and installed using HDD. This method will be used to preserve some historical hedgerows along the pipe route or in order to cross under roads and waterways.
“As in the case of any construction site, we want to keep the impact of the works on the population and nature as limited as possible.” said OOWV Project Managerin Jasmin Hübner.
ARGE PPS Pipeline Systems GmbH from Quakenbrück and RN Rohrleitungsbau Niederrhein GmbH from Krefeld were commissioned for the first construction phase. Processing of the deliveries enabling a fast and uninterrupted construction workflow will be performed in close cooperation between the ARGE project management and egeplast. This cooperation allows for ‘just-in-time’ manufacturing and freight-optimised deliveries to the respective sites across the construction site at large as well as optimal utilisation of the limited onsite storage capacities. The next two construction phases will seamlessly follow the first construction phase. The completion and commissioning of the pipeline as a whole is scheduled for 2024.
