Noord-Holland compressor station

A compressor station has been built at Grasweg in Anna Paulowna (in the province of Noord-Holland) especially for the BBL. The construction started at 1 August 2005. Compression is needed to raise the pressure of the gas so that contractual delivery conditions are met in the United Kingdom. The station's three compressors (two units + spare unit) are electrically driven. The two units have a capacity of 45 megawatts, which is sufficient to raise the pressure of the amount of gas that is flowing to the United Kingdom from December 2006 onwards. Special attention has been given to the environmental impact and inconvenience that the construction could bring along (see also our environmental section on the site).

The section of the onshore pipeline that crosses the dunes of Noord-Holland required special attention. The 'horizontal drilling method' has been used for that purpose. This method made it possible to lay the pipeline under the dunes without damaging the landscape. May 2006 the execution of the drilling has been completed.