230 million tons of natural gas and liquids flow annually through the pipes in the tunnel under the Hollands Diep. With the sabotage of the Nordstream gas pipeline in mind, the question arises whether the pipelines in West Brabant are safe. To prevent risks, director Ferdinand van den Oever van Leidingenstraat Nederland (LSNed) argues for a second tunnel and better supervision. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s already five past twelve.”
The tubes and pipes in the tunnel under the Hollands Diep connect the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp. They are used for the transport of petrochemical liquids such as petroleum, but also natural gas, hydrogen and data traffic. The tunnel is part of the Leidsestraat that runs in West Brabant, from the Hollands Diep at Noordschans to the Belgian border at Woensdrecht.
Because the pipes in the pipeline route are located in a concrete tunnel, a sabotage action such as in the Baltic Sea is hardly conceivable, according to Ferdinand van den Oever. “The pipes in this tunnel are very well protected. They are constantly monitored by sensors and our people.”
“We need to prevent pipeline sprawl.”
But there is another security problem lurking. Because the current tunnel dates from 1972 and is almost full. And the demand for a place in the pipeline street is high. For example, six pipes will have to be added to connect Rotterdam via Moerdijk to the Chemelot industrial area in Limburg in a few years’ time. “This is a serious bottleneck, because there is only room for three pipelines in this Delta Corridor,” explains Van den Oever.
That is why, according to Van den Oever, something must be done quickly. Otherwise, companies will drill new pipelines themselves, he fears. And then a proliferation of pipelines in Brabant soil threatens. With all its consequences. “That leads to more fragmentation and at some point the subsoil will become full.”
According to the director, Brabant must prevent this at all times. “That is only possible with a central manager who is equipped with supervision and maintenance. Think of an organization that is comparable to Rijkswaterstaat for the roads or ProRail for the railways. There is still a lack of uniform supervision.”
“This is the safest form of raw material transport.”
“Nothing has been arranged for the subsurface and the government is in danger of losing control. As far as I’m concerned, the cabinet must quickly take control of this.” In addition to unambiguous supervision, Ferdinand van den Oever also wants rapid construction of a second tunnel under the Hollands Diep for the transport of raw materials.
The expansion of underground transport via bundled pipeline streets is now also high on the agenda of many municipalities and in The Hague. After all, by investing underground, space is created above ground for housing, for example. Van den Oever: “This is the future and also the safest form of raw material transport.”