Moeckow storage project sets strategic foundation for natural gas storage

A storage construction project in East Pomerania has strategic importance. The storage facility will be located at the Moeckow salt dome, about 20 kilometres from Greifswald. EWE has already carried out a seismic survey and exploratory drilling to a depth of 1,600 metres to confirm the suitability of the salt dome for gas storage. EWE is scheduled to begin flushing out the first salt cavern in 2012. The resulting brine will be diluted and fed into the Bay of Greifswald in an environmentally friendly manner.

One important reason for constructing the storage facility is the proximity of the planned "Nord Stream" Baltic pipeline, which will transport natural gas from Russia to western Europe. The construction of a natural gas storage facility so close to the pipeline’s landing point - accompanied by an opportunity of further gas transportation into the west and south direction - is a major step towards consistently expanding EWE’s storage capacities and is of strategic importance for development of the storage services segment.

Surveys have shown that Moeckow is the only suitable location for a storage facility in the wider area of Greifswald. The salt dome begins around 450 metres below the surface and extends more than 2,500 metres under the earth.

It took 9 tons of pressure to make this salt rock sample break. Pressure tests like these are some of the numerous preliminary tests which EWE carries out in the planning stages of constructing a storage facility.