It is scheduled to go into operation at the end of 2026, and Terranets BW has now announced that it has reached a new milestone: construction of the South German natural gas pipeline is progressing according to plan.
24 kilometers have already been completed, 43 kilometers are currently under construction, and work on the final 61-kilometer section was scheduled to begin in August: the construction of the South German Natural Gas Pipeline (SEL) is progressing according to plan, as announced by the transmission system operator Terranets BW. Full commissioning is planned for the end of 2026.
The pipeline is initially intended to transport natural gas from the border of the state of Hesse through Mannheim, Heidelberg, Heilbronn, Ludwigsburg, Esslingen, Göppingen, and Geislingen to Heidenheim and on to Bavaria. It will also enable the connection of modern gas-fired power plants. According to current planning, from the early 2030s, the SEL will serve as “the first pipeline in Baden-Württemberg connected to both the European and national hydrogen infrastructure” and will transport hydrogen.
The first 24-kilometer section of the SEL in the districts of Heilbronn and Ludwigsburg has been transporting gas since the end of 2024. Construction of the second section between Löchgau (Ludwigsburg district) and Esslingen began in spring 2025. In early August, Terranets BW plans to begin phased construction of the third, 61-kilometer-long section of the SEL between Heidelberg and Heilbronn.
The SEL is part of the planned core hydrogen network. As a hydrogen network operator, Terranets BW is to implement parts of the nationwide hydrogen infrastructure and is planning the gradual conversion of the entire gas transmission network in Baden-Württemberg and Hesse.
