The Role of Green HDD for Pipeline and Power Grid Construction

Abstract

The development of sufficient pipeline capacity, a sustainable power grid and the protection of the networks against the increasing threat from environmental factors are the major challenges for future energy supply. Due to the public environmental awareness, smart trenchless installation methods are required for fast and safe installations. For crossing obstacles along the routes or installing landfall solutions in sensitive coastal areas, Horizontal Directional Drilling is the preferred option, as it is an economic and industry-proven technology to be considered as long as the ground conditions allow a safe drilling process. With new environmental tasks, Horizontal Directional Drilling is more than ever important to meet the demands of today's construction projects, which will shift from oil and gas to alternative green fuels like hydrogen. Therefore, a fully electric HDD Rig concept is a further indispensable step towards energy transition, making green energies usable in the drilling industry, while reducing emissions to a minimum. A directly electrically driven rig allows the use of green electricity and assures high efficiency without the losses associated with hydraulic concepts. Upcoming projects are of public interest and successful, eco-friendly execution will be helpful for the whole industry.

Techniques