Work on the natural gas storage facility being built by Enagás in Brihuega is proceeding to plan, according to Juan Andrés Díez de Ulzurruna, head of Technology, Engineering and Purchases at Enagás and Rosa Nieto, Project Manager for the Underground Storage facility, in a statement made today in Guadalajara.
The Enagás executive said that “we have now crossed the halfway point because more than 50% of the project has been completed”. Mr. Díez de Ulzurrun also indicated that the geological survey phase, “one of the most complicated phases, has been completed”.
Project head, Rosa Nieto, said that “the 11 wells needed to construct the storage facility are currently being drilled and civil engineering work is being carried out”. She also pointed out that the Yela Underground Storage Facility will be key to guaranteeing supply in the Spanish gas system, particularly in the central area of the country and the province of Guadalajara: “It will make the region a benchmark energy centre and a model of sustainable development, as the composition and efficiency of natural gas makes it the least contaminating fossil fuel”.
She also explained that the storage facility is driving the region’s economy by creating employment and wealth, adding that “There are currently more than 100 people working on the site”.
The Yela Underground Storage Facility, scheduled to start operations in 2012, will have operating capacity of 1,050 million m3 and a maximum flow rate of 15 million m3 /day.
The installation will be connected to Enagás’ basic network via three gas pipelines: Algete-Yela, Yela–Villar de Arnedo and Zarza de Tajo-Yela.
Underground storage facilities are key to guaranteeing the security of energy supply as they help even out the differences in consumption between summer and winter to bring supply into line with demand.
Spain imports practically all the natural gas it consumes and its storage capacity is only 10% that of other European countries such as France and Germany. Therefore, the construction of natural gas storage facilities is a priority for the Spanish gas system.
