The gas pipeline of terranets bw is around 2,700 kilometres long and extends from Lower Saxony to Lake Constance. As an independent transmission system operator, we thus ensure a non-discriminatory supply of gas. Many towns and communities in Baden-Württemberg and Hesse as well as parts of Switzerland, Vorarlberg and the Principality of Liechtenstein are connected to the pipeline network of terranets bw.
We have been operating our gas transmission system since 1961. And because demand in our network is steadily rising, we have been constantly developing our network ever since. Ensuring the highest level of supply security.
Our gas transmission system is located in the heart of Europe and is connected across our borders into the Alpine region with numerous transnational gas pipelines.
45 entry points bring gas from the transmission systems of other transmission system operators. Around 300 network interconnection points directly connect approximately 60 grid operators and 23 industrial customers to our high-pressure gas network.
And cross-border interconnection points in the region of Lake Constance and Basel also connect foreign network interconnection partners and the customers they supply to our gas network.
Germany is on the way to climate neutrality. For the energy transition to succeed, we need an efficient gas transport system. To achieve this, we are implementing all network development projects "H2 ready" and preparing our infrastructure for the transport of hydrogen.
With hydrogen-capable pipelines and an optimal connection to the European transport network, we are creating the conditions for the development of a hydrogen economy. The rapid transition to hydrogen is a task that can only be overcome together with other stakeholders. That is why we launched the initiative "Hydrogen for Baden-Wuerttemberg" in 2021.
Learn more about the initiative Hydrogen for Baden-Württemberg
The gas pipelines of terranets bw are located in a depth of 1.20 metres under the ground. To the right and left of the pipeline respectively, there is a safety area of up to 5 metres, the so-called protective strip. It is prohibited to build or dig in this area without our approval.
When gas is transported over long distances it loses pressure on the way. In order to compensate this pressure loss, gas compressor stations are used. Gas molecules are squeezed tightly together and compressed to a higher pressure using turbines. This process means that the gas can again be transported over long distances. For example, from Ulm to Lake Constance.
Two compressor stations on our gas pipeline network ensure – in the Karlsruhe and Ulm regions – that the gas reaches consumers on time even when demand is at its highest. Due to constantly increasing gas shipping demand, a further station is currently being built near Rheinstetten.
Since 2015, we have been ensuring additional system stability through our undergound natural gas storage facility in Sandhausen in the Heidelberg region. Two further underground storage facilities are connected to our pipeline network.
The gas is stored underground in a rock mass with cavities (so-called aquifers) and withdrawn when needed – a safe, environmentally-friendly and technically proven method for storing gas.
In Germany, terranets bw is the only transmission system operator that operates an underground storage facility in its own network.