Germany-based steelmaker Salzgitter Group has announced that it will supply approximately 70,000 mt of spirally-welded large-diameter (LD) pipes to Essen-based natural gas transmission operator Open Grid Europe Gmbh for three projects aimed at extending the natural gas grid in southern and western Germany.
The pipes will be shipped by Salzgitter’s subsidiary Salzgitter Mannesmann Großrohr GmbH (MGR) and will be produced in Salzgitter. The company stated that, together with other pipeline projects in France, Poland and Italy, double-shift capacity utilization has been secured for the large diameter pipe mill through to mid-2017. According to Salzgitter, following years of stagnation, the awarding of pipeline projects is staging a gratifying recovery in the European market, as the supply of natural gas is to be expanded in many regions and, at the same time, geographically diversified.