The new gas turbine unit is to be installed in parallel to the existing units and will allow expansion of the compressor station’s capacity. At Waidhaus, since its construction in 1976, gas from Russia has been raised in pressure to 80bar for onward transmission. In the light of increasing gas requirements in France, the capacity of the station can now be raised and the increasing demand satisfied with this new unit.
In 1976, Gaz de France and Ruhrgas founded Megal GmbH and began the construction of the Megal pipeline, which became part of the major 28-, 42- , and 44-in diameter gas transmission network that that runs from Russia to France. Megal Nord was constructed in 1977, and in 1985 it was looped for over 449km of its length. It is operated at a pressure of 80bar.
The 167-km long Megal Sud pipeline, from Oberkappel on the German/Austrian border to Schwandorf, was built in 1980, and operates at 67.5bar.
Along the total length of 1,077km, five compressor stations operate with a power of 181MW. The pipeline system connects to the TENP at Mittelbrunn, the SETG at Gernsheim, and the WAG in Austria. At present, Gaz de France Deutschland Transport GmbH carries up to 15 billion cum/yr of Russian gas to Western Europe via the Megal system.