BAM Group nv has won the contract to build gas installations for the first underground natural gas storage facility in salt caverns in the Netherlands. The project will be implemented near the village of Zuidwending (Veendam municipality) in Groningen province. The natural gas storage facility will be built, operated and maintained on behalf of Gasunie and Nuon by the dedicated joint venture Zuidwending VOF. The contract value amounts to approximately EUR 90 million. Work will start this month and the project is scheduled for completion at the end of 2010.
The natural gas storage facility, which will consist of four salt caverns with a total storage capacity of 180 million m³, will facilitate a flexible response to sudden fluctuations in the demand for gas. The geological conditions around the Zuidwending salt dome, in which the four salt caverns are now being leached by AkzoNobel, are highly suitable for gas storage. The facility is favourably situated near the existing natural gas transport network and the Groningen gas field near Slochteren.
BAM Leidingen & Industrie (subsidiary of BAM Infratechniek), BAM Civiel and BAM Wegen are building the above-ground installations. These include five compressors to bring the gas up to pressure before it is injected into the salt caverns. BAM will also build the installations required to extract and dry the gas. The work will be carried out in partnership with Cegelec, which will be responsible for the electrical systems and instrumentation.
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