Planning for the construction of transport pipelines

Under the leadership of igr AG, the ARGE "Regionales Verbundsystem Westeifel" (Westeifel Regional Combined Systems) delivered the authorisation documentation for a pioneering, innovative infrastructure project to the authorisation authorities. In an 83 km long shared trench, from the Belgium border to Trier, a water pipeline, a natural gas pipe, a biogas pipe, a 110 kV and a 20 kV powerline and a high-speed internet fibre optic cable will be laid.

igr prevailed against European competitors in a tender process under VOF regulations, and received a contract award for technical planning as well as for the areas of environmental impact assessment, nature conservation and species protection. In only six weeks, the routes were tacheometrically surveyed and represented as a digital terrain model. This was the basis for establishing the depth of individual utility lines. The short planning period could be successfully met due to a specific geographical information system (GIS). Through intersections problems with private properties, and with existing pipelines, forest clearances, water conservation areas (and other types of conservation areas), and almost 90 road and waterway crossings were quickly recognised and solved.

Services provided by igr

  • Engineering survey
  • Creation of a digital terrain model
  • Collection and digitalisation of basic data (e.g. third-party pipelines, conservation areas, contaminated sites, etc.)
  • Preliminary planning
  • Design planning
  • Authorisation planning
  • Landscape conservation supplimentary plan with 20 types of activity
  • Four FFH preliminary assessments
  • Specialist report on forestry
  • General species protection assessment
  • Preliminary assessment of an individual case in line with Environmental Impact Assessment law

Key figures

  • 83 km long combined route
  • Combined system (water, natural gas, and biogas pipelines, 110 kV, 20 kV power cables and a fibre optic cable)
  • Ca. 90 road and waterway crossing points
  • Ca. 1,500 affected parcels of land (GIS based evaluation)
  • Ca. 90 high and low points (ventilation and evacuation)
  • Affecting 6 towns/municipal associations and 32 community municipalities
  • Investigation area for nature and species conservation of up to 8,000 ha
  • Dealing with 37 blanket protected biotopes
  • Investigation of 543 potentially affected strictly protected species/ European bird species listed in the Birds Directive