Clone of Residents or communities affected by the works on the Rhône arterial road

NaTran has reopened the pipeline in optimal conditions of security after an in-depth inspection and repair campaign. The company will conduct a new general inspection of the artery in 3 years’ time.

Travaux menés par NaTran sur l’artère du Rhône

NaTran has been carrying out work on the Rhône artery since last spring.  

The programme of intervention was defined in light of the findings of the inspection launched at the beginning of the year, when the whole artery was surveyed using smart pigging technology.

NaTran has focussed its operations on the sections necessary for Rhône artery to reopen between Saint-Martin-de-Crau and Granges-les-Beaumont. Other work is scheduled for a later phase.

NaTran conducted excavations at over fifty sites between June and September 2026 in its endeavours to take all measures necessary for the reopening of the service in optimal conditions of security (targeted repairs or replacement of section).

The protocol for the inspection and repair of the Rhône artery was defined in conjunction with the public authorities.

With the essential work now finished, NaTran reopened the Rhône artery for normal service on 25 September 2026.

>>> Guaranteeing the continuity of gas transmission

Mobilization in the service of national gas supplies

Under its remit to provide a public service and ensure supplies of gas, NaTran set itself the target of reopening the Rhône artery as soon as possible before the coming winter.

The company mobilized all its human, industrial and technological resources to make the reopening a reality.

The Rhône artery is a vital transmission link for regional and national gas supplies, crossing France from south (the methane terminals of Fos-Sur-Mer) to north.

>>> NaTran safety actions

Security: the absolute priority

Network security is our priority. NaTran operates its network of nearly 33,800 km of pipeline in compliance with the leading European standards. All pipelines are subject to strict regulation and to controls by the authorities. NaTran fully complies with these requirements.

Network security requires a robust monitoring policy. In accordance with the regulations, a regularly-updated multi-year inspections programme has been put in place to assess the condition of pipelines, and repair them when this proves necessary. To do this, NaTran uses a range of inspection and monitoring methods (pigging, aerial reconnaissance, walking surveys etc.), depending on the nature of the pipeline and its environment.

NaTran has decided in light of its experience to toughen its industrial security and maintenance policy with a vast reinforcement plan designed to safeguard the integrity of the network. This plan will deploy in phases between 2026 and 2033.  Under the plan, the budget allocated to network monitoring will almost double between 2025 and 2026, from around 50 million euros to nearly 100 million euros per year.

La surveillance environnementale de son réseau, fait partie des missions de NaTran. Dans le cadre de l'application de la réglementation européenne, NaTran renforce ses dispositifs de détection afin d'identifier et traiter le plus rapidement possible les éventuelles émissions diffuses éventuellement présentes sur son réseau. Pour mener à bien cette mission, l'entreprise déploie régulièrement des campagnes d'inspection de ses infrastructures au sol et par voie aérienne.

Les opérations de survol du réseau de canalisation sont aujourd’hui réalisées par hélicoptère ou par avion. NaTran teste dans des conditions réelles la solution du ballon dirigeable développé par HyLight pour assurer cette mission. Le ballon sera équipé d'un capteur laser de détection de méthane similaire à celui utilisé aujourd’hui, pour assurer un niveau de surveillance équivalent.  

Avoir recours à un ballon dirigeable pour assurer ces opérations permettrait de réduire l’empreinte carbone des opérations aériennes (empreinte carbone inférieur à 3 g de CO₂ par kilomètre pour le dirigeable, contre un peu plus de 13 kg de CO2 / km pour un survol par hélicoptère). 

En raison des contraintes opérationnelles et météorologiques, le programme détaillé des vols n'est connu que 48 heures à l'avance.

Voici le programme défini à ce stade :  

A partir du 28 octobre : ouest nantais   

Numéro à disposition : 0800 02 29 81 – centre de surveillance régionale

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