Nord Stream

Background

Nord Stream is an international consortium founded to build a gas pipeline network to transport Russian gas through the Baltic Sea to Western Europe. Gazprom is the largest shareholder in the consortium, followed by the German companies E.ON and BASF. The construction of Nord Stream, the large double gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, faced enormous challenges when it came to engineering and political red tape. Hint’s expertise in control & automation played a decisive role in the certification of the pipeline’s security and the construction of the sampling instrumentation system. It provided the missing documentation and also advised on the installation of the gas analyzers.

“In 2009 it was still relatively unknown what the bottom of the Baltic Sea looked like,” says Hoekstra. “You have to imagine that the sea floor is not flat, but has mountains, valleys, and other obstacles. We had then conceived a route of 1,200 kilometers through relatively uncharted territory; terrain where lots of mines had been laid during World Wars, and the risks of those mines were difficult to assess. And then you also had to consider things like nature and fishing grounds where you can’t simply lay down a pipeline.” Other major engineering issues included landings and the many dredging activities that would need to take place. Still, the mechanics, according to Hoekstra were not the biggest obstacle. “It was mainly a huge challenge to get permits for the project,” he says. “You not only have to deal with obtaining permits from the concerned countries of Germany, the Netherlands, and Russia, but also the countries through whose territory the pipeline goes, like Finland, Sweden, and Denmark. Moreover, in Europe we have the Espoo process, a rule that means neighboring countries in the Baltic States also need to participate in the project and have a say, which means you have to have discussions with authorities in all of those countries.”