RWE Dea launches initiative to improve air quality
Posted on September 2, 2008 – 5:18 pm | by oilandgaspress.com
RWE Dea has announced plans to use electric motors to power the compression units of new gas storage facilities in upper Bavaria. In doing so, the company plans to allay the fears of citizens in the region that the current seismic testing being conducted and possible subsequent extensions of the storage facility might cause additional emissions.
The Inzenham-West gas storage facility near Rosenheim in Bavaria.
Since the natural gas storage facility was commissioned, keeping the air clean has been a key issue for RWE Dea; the maximum emission values prescribed by law have never been exceeded at any time. “In terms of our voluntary commitment only to use electrically powered compression units in new gas storage facilities, RWE Dea will not create any additional emissions in the Chiemgau region, even if the natural gas storage capacities happen to be extended”, Dipl.-Ing. Holger Schmidt, Head of Operations of RWE Dea’s storage facilities in Bavaria, explained to mayors of the region at an information event.
Further environmental relief in future
To reduce the burden on the environment even further, planning activities have begun at RWE Dea to replace the legacy gas turbines in the Inzenham-West gas storage facility with new, modern equipment. These gas turbines of the latest generation will reduce harmful emissions from today’s level by 75 percent. This retrofitting plan will call for an investment of several tens of million of euros and is to be concluded by 2015.
In addition to improving the air quality, the measures announced also represent an investment in a future safe supply of environmentally compatible energy. With a total storage volume of 1.9 cubic meters of natural gas, RWE Dea’s storage facilities are making an important contribution toward achieving a secure supply of natural gas in Germany.
In this context, seismic testing currently under way in the region is also of immense importance. The measurements will make it possible to create a three-dimensional image of the rock formations underground. RWE Dea will use this information as a basis for assessing the optimization potential of the existing storage facilities Inzenham-West and Breitbrunn/Eggstätt as well as the suitability of former natural gas reservoirs as storage facilities. Next, an evaluation will be made as to whether extension measures or the construction of a new storage facility might be a sensible. However, it will only be possible to reach a decision once the seismic data has been evaluated – no earlier than 2010.
RWE Dea is very keen to have an ongoing, friendly relationship with its neighbors in the Chiemgau region. After operating incident-free for many years, the initiative to improve the air quality is further documentation of the company’s responsible attitude toward its neighbors and the environment.
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Tags: electric motors, Gas Turbines, Germany, Head of Operations, natural gas storage, RWE Dea
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