A secure supply for consumers and investors
Poland also attaches great importance to a dependable supply of natural gas. With the expansion of the gas grid around Gorzów Wiel-kopolski (formerly Landsberg an der Warthe) in 2023, a further step has been taken towards safeguarding the supply. A fine opportunity for Salzgitter Mannesmann Stahlhandel Poland and Mannesmann Line Pipe to demonstrate their tried-and-tested teamwork once again.
The investment was aimed at expanding the gas distribution grid in the area around Gorzów Wielkopolski and Kostrzyn nad Odrą as well as in the Kostrzyn-Slubice Special Economic Zone along the German-Polish border and improving the security of supply.
Grid expansion in three stages
The initial prerequisite for the grid expansion was the building of the Gorzów II reduction and metering station in 2020, followed two years later by the laying of a 43 km long DN 300 high-pressure gas pipeline from Kłodawa to Mościczki and, at around the same time, the construction of an almost 5 km DN 250 medium-pressure natural gas pipeline in Kostrzyn nad Odrą. This will increase the natural gas grid capacity for the further expansion of the Kostrzyn-Slubice Special Economic Zone.
The client was Poland's largest gas network operator, Polska Spółka Gazownictwa. With over 11,000 employees, the company operates a natural gas grid over 200,000 kilometers long and supplies around 7.5 million customers throughout Poland.
Preparations for a pipeline passing under a road.
The new Gorzów II reduction and metering station.
Photo: © Polska Spółka Gazownictwa
Pipe-laying took place in some cases on challenging terrain.
Tried-and-tested teamwork
To realise the project, Salzgitter Mannesmann Stahlhandel Poland ordered around 2,800 tonnes of HFI-welded steel pipes from Mannesmann Line Pipe in Siegen. Bartłomiej Gajowiak and Thorsten Schmidt were the responsible employees who jointly advanced the project and brought it to a successful conclusion. Gajowiak, project manager at Salzgitter Mannesmann Stahlhandel Poland: "We once again placed our faith in the excellent tried-and-tested teamwork with Mannesmann Line Pipe going back many years."
Around 2,700 pipes were supplied in grades L360 NE and S235 JRH with a 3-layer PE outer coating and an epoxy lining. "Thanks to the smooth cooperation with Mannesmann Line Pipe, our entire site logistics proceeded without a hitch. All 135 deliveries from Germany arrived on time at the storage areas at the work sites," says Gajowiak.
Further expansion of the Kostrzyn-Slubice Special Economic Zone
The technical acceptance and commissioning of the new supply lines at the end of October 2023 resulted in the tripling of the natural gas grid capacity in the region around Gorzów Wielkopolski, setting the stage for further expansion of the Kostrzyn-Slubice Special Economic Zone.
"All in all, we once again have every reason to be satisfied with the cooperation with our long-standing partner Mannesmann Line Pipe," says Gajowiak. "The successfully completed project is another important milestone in improving the security of supply to private households and stimulating further investment in the Kostrzyn-Slubice Special Economic Zone."