Friedrich Vorwerk Group SE, a leading energy infrastructure provider, announced Monday it has been awarded a significant gas pipeline contract.

As part of a consortium to construct another section of the South German Natural Gas Pipeline (SEL), the group will be working on the new segment, which spans approximately 61 kilometres.

This latest award, valued in the low three-digit million-euro range, brings the total length of pipeline sections under contract for the joint venture to 128 kilometers. 

The consortium includes Friedrich Vorwerk and Bohlen & Doyen from the Friedrich Vorwerk Group, alongside PPS Pipeline Systems and HABAU from the Austrian HABAU Group.

Work on the newly contracted third section is slated to begin in summer 2025 and will partially overlap with construction on the second section, which is already underway. 

The total project volume for the consortium across all three sections is now in the mid-three-digit million-euro range.

The 250-kilometer SEL, planned by transmission system operator terranets bw, is a major pipeline initiative in Germany, stretching from Lampertheim in Hesse to Bissingen in Bavaria. 

It is designed to enhance the security of heat and electricity supply by connecting modern gas-fired power plants to the existing grid, supporting the phase-out of coal power.

Crucially, the SEL is planned to transport hydrogen starting in 2030, making it the first pipeline in the state with a connection to European transport routes capable of carrying the future clean energy carrier. 

This development is expected to significantly contribute to a carbon-neutral energy supply for the Rhine-Neckar region and the greater Stuttgart area, with the pipeline being built in phases based on future demand. 

Following the award of these three sections, the remaining portions of the SEL are expected to be tendered in the coming years to connect new gas plants and the planned 9,000-kilometer national hydrogen core network.