Our Rehden natural gas storage facility has been guaranteeing secure energy supplies for 20 years. astora GmbH & Co. KG

Transcription

1 Our Rehden natural gas storage facility has been guaranteeing secure energy supplies for 20 years. astora GmbH & Co. KG Phone: Kleine Rosenstraße 1 kontakt@astora.de Kassel

2 Allow us to introduce ourselves. We are astora. Dear readers, Older than the historic town of Rehden itself: Western Europe s largest pore storage facility. The joint Rehden community was not established until 1972 and yet it looks back to over 1,100 years of history. For example, documents, dating back to the ninth century CE, record the place where much later, in 1953, a significant natural gas field was discovered, my name is Ralph Kathmann. I am delighted to present this brochure introducing marking the history of Western Europe s largest natural gas storage facility, whose the Rehden natural gas storage facility. origins date back millions of years. As Deputy Operations Manager, the safety of people and the protection of the environment Let s start with a basic question: What is a pore storage facility? Deep below the surface at is of special importance to me. I have been responsible for the safe operation of all Rehden, there are porous rock formations, which have been storing natural gas for millions processes related to our natural gas storage facility since of years. One can compare these geological formations to a sponge absorbing water except that in our case they absorb gas. They are perfectly sealed at the top by cap rock The Rehden facility is Western Europe s largest natural gas storage facility. Just imagine: consisting of clay and other rock layers. The surface area of the facility has the impressive size of 910 football pitches. Its performance is just as remarkable: Given a working gas volume of 4.4 billion cubic metres of Prior to the commissioning of the storage facility natural gas had been produced in Rehden natural gas, we account for around 22 percent of Germany s total storage volume. until After that, the existing natural reservoir was converted into a natural gas storage facility, which has since been available for flexible injection and withdrawal. One could say This brochure will tell you more about the storage facility astora operates at Rehden in we have simply recycled a storage facility provided by nature. The facility has been filled Northern Germany, the role of natural gas and natural gas storages in the context of the with working and cushion gas. Working gas is the gas quantity that can be withdrawn from "Energiewende", as well as many exciting details about the structure and operation of our the facility for supply purposes. The cushion gas, by contrast, remains in the rock to ensure storage facility. the necessary pressure in the pore storage facility. And of course, I will also introduce you to the team on site the colleagues I work with How does natural gas evolve? at the Rehden natural gas storage facility everyday. Natural gas came into being around two billion years ago, primarily as a result of dead plankton, which sank to the bottom of the primeval seas, where it was Ready for a site visit? Then, let s go... sealed in by sediments of sand and rock. The organic material was decomposed by bacteria, resulting in the formation of natural gas, which evolved through Yours, Ralph Kathmann various intermediates over a long period of time. Ralph Kathmann, Deputy Operations Manager of astora s natural gas storage facility at Rehden 2 3

3 Enough natural gas for zillions of milk cartons. By using natural gas storages, the Energiewende can even be achieved when the sun does not shine. Rehden has a lot to offer space for 4.4 billion cubic metres of gas. Hard to imagine? Germany s energy industry is currently undergoing a radical change. The gradual Just how much that is becomes clearer if one looks at the following example: decommissioning of nuclear power plants and the conversion of generation capacity If one was to package this volume in conventional 1-litre milk cartons, one would need to renewable sources of energy in particular sun, wind, and water create various 4,400,000,000,000 of them to accommodate it all. new challenges. For example: What happens at times when the sun does not shine or the wind does not blow? Of course, given its storage capacity, the natural gas storage facility at Rehden plays an important role for energy supplies in Germany and Western Europe. Even if the size of the The start of the Energiewende in the year 2011 resulted in Germany facing major compact technical installations on the surface does not give much away, the underground challenges. The scheduled decommissioning of all 17 German nuclear power plants will pore storage facility is large enough to supply natural gas to over two million households lead to huge power generation capacities being replaced by alternative sources of energy. for a whole year. Politicians focus on renewable energy sources from the sun, wind, and water but it is obvious that the wind will not always blow and the sun will not always shine. Another interesting detail: Rehden is particularly fast at injecting and withdrawing natural gas. To this end, the gas will be compressed at the time of injection and then forced into This is exactly where natural gas storage facilities provide indispensable added value for the storage facility at a working pressure of between 110 and 280 bar. Upon withdrawal, secure energy supplies: Compared to other EU countries, Germany s storage facilities have the natural gas will be cleaned before fed into the natural gas networks. 16 horizontal wells the largest storage volume. In combination with that, natural gas, the cleanest among the are available for injecting and withdrawing the gas. The wells, up to 2,100 metres deep, can primary fossil fuels, forms the backbone of Germany s supply security. Thus, natural gas reach a layer of sandstone, the actual geological deposit, which is up to 40 metres thick and storage facilities guarantee a high level of availability, especially at times of high energy covering an area of around eight square kilometres. demand: during heating usage peaks in the cold winter months and also whenever the sun does not shine. By this, astora s natural gas storage facility in Rehden significantly CH4 Did you know that natural gas will be dried? contributes to the Energiewende. Upon withdrawal from the underground storage horizon, the natural gas will be dehydrated to remove condensed and deposit water from the gas mixture. How much power is being generated from natural gas in Germany? This process uses glycol, which absorbs the water and thus drying the natural Ultra-modern power plants using CHP (combined heat and power) technology are gas. The water saturated glycol will be dried and subsequently, be recycled. very efficient at turning natural gas into electric and thermal energy, or power and heat. For example, modern gas and steam (G&S) processes can achieve electrical efficiency rates of around 60 percent. Throughout Germany the annual power production from natural gas amounts to around 70 terawatt hours. This corresponds to around eleven percent of Germany s total power demand. 4 5

4 The Rehden natural gas storage facility facts and figures: Storage area: 8 km2 Storage area depth: 1,900 2,100 m Geological formation: Upper Permian Dolomia Principale Gas volume of the storage facility: 7.0 billion m3 Working gas volume: 4.4 billion m³ Cushion gas volume: 2.6 billion m³ Maximum injection rate: 1.4 million m³/h We store natural gas. in pretty Rehden You want further pictures and impressions? Scan the adjoining QR-code on the side with your tablet or smartphone. Maximum withdrawal rate: 2.4 million m³/h

5 Also environmentally friendly natural gas has the lowest CO2 emissions of all fossil fuels. We do not compromise when it comes to safety and responsibility for people and the environment. Good for the environment good for people: Of all fossil fuels, natural gas has the best At astora, the following always applies: Safety first. Work and plant safety as well as energy / efficiency ratio of energy. In modern CHP units, which use combined heat and environmental protection are our number one priority ahead of any financial goals. power, natural gas achieves electrical efficiency rates of around 60 percent. We often have visitors at our storage site at Rehden: interested members of the public, Did you know that in production natural gas causes 50 percent less CO2 emissions than local politicians as well as customers and suppliers. There is one thing they all remember: lignite? This is true even taking into account the energy effort for extraction. Natural gas also astora believes in the importance of safety and responsibility for the environment. excels when compared with heating oil: For each terawatt hour of primary energy, the use of natural gas produces 25 tonnes of CO2 less than the use of oil. In detail, this means: In the control room the operation of the natural gas storage facility is monitored 24 hours a day. The operating personnel is experienced and their professional Firstly, astora s natural gas storage facility at Rehden contributes to securing energy supplies training is completely up to date continuous further training takes place as a matter of course. in the context of the "Energiewende". Secondly, this is where we store the most When planning operational measures, basic environmental aspects will be taken into account. environmentally friendly primary fossil fuel. We, therefore, run a modern natural gas storage facility that combines high availability and How natural gas contributes to feeding the world s population: maximum safety with sustainable and environmentally friendly operation. This holds clear Who would have thought it: Natural gas cannot only keep residential dwellings advantages for storage customers and for us as the operator, but also for local residents warm and homely or effectively provide primary energy in the form of heat for and the environment. the production process in industrial facilities. It can do a whole lot more. For example, the Haber-Bosch process (patented by BASF in 1910) can be used in By the way, the Rehden storage facility is notable for a very special innovation: In contrast various production steps to turn natural gas into ammonia, which in turn forms the to many dozens of vertical wells our natural gas storage facility comprises 16 horizontal basis for modern synthetic fertilisers. Undisputedly, without synthetic fertilisers wells only, through which the entire underground storage volume can be accessed. This the tremendous growth in the world s population of the 20th century would not was achieved by deflecting each individual well in the required direction during the drilling have been possible. Natural gas is a true all-rounder. operation. Even though these types of wells are more challenging and more expensive they are more efficient and, moreover, have less impact on the natural landscape. In this way state-of-the-art technology, natural geology, and the environment stay in harmony. Safety A clear proof of highest standards on health and safety at work and environmental protection: The Rehden storage facility has been operating without incidents since its commissioning 20 years ago. 8 9

6 We are working really well together: the astora team at the Rehden natural gas storage facility. We store natural gas. It takes a lot of know-how to operate a large natural gas storage facility. Above all, it also requires team spirit and the combination of different competencies and skills to achieve a shared objective: maximum safety for people and the environment and reliable, efficient operation of the systems. The Rehden natural gas storage facility has been running continuously without incidents for more than 20 years. This success story is due firstly to the perfect natural reservoir and the use of mature technology and secondly, of course, to the experienced staff on site. The members of the astora team at Rehden are technical and commercial experts with many years of expertise in operating, maintaining, and servicing the facility. As in sports, a perfectly coordinated team works hand in hand. A lean organisational structure and flat hierarchies enable quick decisions and, thus, promote a reliable service valued by customers. Team play is a prerequisite for success in playing basketball as well as in operating a natural gas storage facility. A basketball team has five players, and each of them has very special skills and the corresponding game-opening, offense, and defence tasks. The same applies to Rehden: With a team of 25 specialists we take care of injecting, storing, and withdrawing natural gas. We work efficiently because each employee contributes its special know-how and experience exactly where and when needed. 10 astora GmbH & Co. KG, Kleine Rosenstraße 1, Kassel Phone.: , kontakt@astora.de, Photo credits: Markus Hibbeler, Wattendorff GmbH, Wintershall Holding GmbH Concept, copy and design: CREAVIVA Dialogmarketing GmbH & Co. KG 11