Balgzand–Bacton Line (BBL) Gas Pipeline

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Balgazand–Bacton Line (BBL) Gas Pipeline is a currently operating pipeline between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

Location

The pipeline delivers gas from Bacton in the United Kingdom to Balgzand in the Netherlands.

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Project Details

• Operator: BBL Company
• Owner: BBL Company
• Parents: Gasunie (60%), Fluxys (20%), Uniper (20%)
• Current capacity: 16 billion cubic meters per year
• Length: 231.8 kilometers
• Diameter: 36 inches
• Status: Operating
• Start Year: 2006

Background

The approximately 235 kilometer gas pipeline between Balgzand in the Netherlands and Bacton in the United Kingdom is operated by the BBL company. The BBL company is a joint-venture of Gasunie BBL B.V. (60%), Uniper Ruhrgas BBL B.V. (20%) and Fluxys BBL B.V. (20%). The pipeline became operational in 2006.

Technical Details

The overall length of pipeline is 235 kilometers (146 mi) of which around 230 kilometres (140 mi) is offshore. The pipeline's diameter is 36 inches (910 mm) and working pressure is 135 standard atmospheres (13,700 kPa). The initial capacity is 16 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year, which will be increased to 19.2 bcm by the end of 2010 by installing a fourth compressor at the compressor station at Anna Paulowna.[1] The pipeline has a regulatory exemption from the two-ways gas flow until October 2018. Until this, the direction of gas flow is from the Netherlands to the UK.[2] The overall cost of the project was around €500 million.