NEL. The North European Natural Gas Pipeline.

The NEL runs from the receiving site near Greifswald in a westerly direction through Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to Lower Saxony. It is also linked to the EUGAL (European Gas Pipeline Link) , so that gas can flow both to the west and to the south. From Lubmin, the 441-kilometre-long pipeline first heads south-westwards towards the Mecklenburg Lake District. 

Between Güstrow and Teterow, it then continues in the direction of Schwerin before crossing the Elbe at Hittbergen near Lauenburg. South of Hamburg, NEL passes the catchment area of the town of Winsen on the River Luhe. From Seevetal, the pipeline first passes through the Nordheide parallel to the A1 as far as Achim near Bremen. Finally, after passing through the moor landscape near Syke and Bassum, it reaches Rehden (near Vechta), where the natural gas will be either stored or fed into the existing natural gas pipeline network.

Since complete commercial operation from November 1st, 2013 on, more than 20 billion cubic metres of natural gas a year will flow through NEL, which is equivalent to about a fifth of the whole of Germany's natural gas requirements.

NEL Gastransport GmbH in Kassel is responsible for the operational management of the pipeline. It works together with GASCADE Gastransport GmbH and Gasunie Deutschland GmbH.

Information according to § 23 c (4) EnWG in 2022

Deadline: 1 April 2023

Class A B C D E F G
Nominal diameter
DN in mm
≥ 1,000 700–999 500–699 350–499 225–349 110–224 up to 109
Length in km 441 0 0 0 0 0 0

Annual exit consumption for DSO's and end consumers in Mio. m³:
43

Annual exit consumption for DSO's and end consumers in GWh:
488

Number of exit points/exit ranges in the high pressure grid:
1

Simultaneous annual peak load of all exits in MW:
60,028 (03/03/2022 10:00)

Total length of pipeline grid:
441 km