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Technical update GSB


As communicated in our previous newsletters, several investigations were conducted on the failures of the compressor motors. These concluded that liquids in the compressor motors, in combination with other contributing factors, have probably caused the motor failures during withdrawal.

After various improvements were installed to the compressors and compressor motors before winter 20/21, it became evident it would be an improvement to cool the motors with dry gas. Hence the implementation of the dry cooling gas loop. This week the implementation of the dry cooling gas loop to the motors of the compressors has been finalised and commissioned for the first two compressors. This is a very important step forward in managing the failures we have encountered on our compressor motors.

Commissioning for the other compressors is now ongoing and expected to be finalised soon. Although the asset is currently still in free flow withdrawal, if customer requests increase, compression withdrawal can now be used from the two dry cooling gas compressors.

As a reminder, free flow withdrawal is GSB’s normal mode of operation above and up to a reservoir fullness of about 40% when the reservoir pressure is high enough to enter the grid without compression support. Below that reservoir fill level, free flow rates are dependent on how high the fill level is, GTS network pressure and availability of the compressors. In combination with actual customer nominations, GSB then either continues with free flow or requires compression.

GSB continues to publish technical unavailability as per REMIT obligations at https://agsi.gie.eu/#/unavailability. Technical unavailability does not necessarily equate to contractual unavailability. Customers can check their contractual rights via myGSB.