The purpose of Transitgas AG is the construction, ownership maintenance and operation of a natural gas transport system, which runs from the northern border to the southern border of Switzerland. Transitgas AG constructs and operates this transport system with a compressor station, diverse slide-gate valve stations and a metering station on Swiss territory. The Transitgas pipeline is the Swiss section of the high-pressure natural gas pipeline which connects the northern European gas fields with Italy. It represents an important step towards securing the supply of natural gas to the whole of Switzerland and at the same time, makes it possible for Italy to diversify its sources of supply. In addition, the Transitgas pipeline fulfils a unique function in that it connects different countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, France and Switzerland together, to form a group with common interests and purposes.