GAZ-SYSTEM: Gas flows to Poland through the new Poland-Lithuania gas interconnector since 1st May
Commercial gas transmission through the new gas pipeline connecting Poland with Lithuania - the so-called GIPL - started on 1 May 2022. On 5 May, at the Jauniunai Compressor Station in Lithuania, the ceremonial opening of the interconnector took place with the participation of the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda, and the President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda.
"Today, we are launching gas transmission via the Polish-Lithuanian interconnector, achieved ahead of previously announced deadlines. Poland gained access to the Klaipeda terminal, thus strengthening the security of gas supplies to Polish consumers. The period of gas isolation of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia has come to an end by connecting their transmission systems through Poland to the large European market which offers the possibility of obtaining gaseous fuel at competitive market prices. Together, we are also strengthening our countries' resilience to the gas crisis we are currently experiencing. In the circumstances of Russian aggression near our borders, the GIPL - together with the investment projects implemented by GAZ-SYSTEM such as Baltic Pipe, the interconnector with Slovakia and the expansion of the LNG Terminal in Świnoujście - would make it easier for Europe to break the ties of dependence on an unreliable and aggressive supplier from the East," said - said Minister Piotr Naimski, Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure.
"The launch of GIPL is a historic event not only for Lithuania and Poland, but also for the entire energy sector in the region. The Lithuania-Poland gas pipeline connection will ensure the security of gas supplies to the Baltic States and strengthen our energy independence which is extremely important in the context of current geopolitical developments," - said Dainius Kreivys, Minister of Energy of Lithuania.
"The gas system connection we are opening today which links Poland and Lithuania is the first of the new interconnectors that GAZ-SYSTEM will launch this year. The Russian invasion in Ukraine and the stoppage of gas transmission to Poland from the east by the Russians confirmed that the decisions taken over six years ago by GAZ-SYSTEM to build new transmission infrastructure were justified and necessary. Owing to such projects as the GIPL, our national gas transmission system increases its resilience to gas supply disruptions, while countries such as Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland can gain access to a new gas corridor from the European market," - said Tomasz Stępień, President of GAZ-SYSTEM.
"The Lithuanian-Polish GIPL cross-border gas pipeline has been a missing component of the Lithuanian energy system, important not only to ensure energy security, but also from the perspective of affordability of energy resources for consumers. The Baltic States and Finland have finally gained a wide choice of gas suppliers in the open continental European market, while Poland has acquired new alternative source of gas supply. The GIPL pipeline, together with the Klaipeda LNG terminal and the ELLI project, which will double the gas transmission capacity between Lithuania and Latvia, will bring the regional gas market to a whole new level of competitiveness," said Nemunas Biknius, CEO of Amber Grid.
The 508-kilometre GIPL gas pipeline connected the gas transmission systems of Poland and Lithuania are operated by GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. and AB Amber Grid respectively. Since 1 May, the interruptible capacity in the direction from Lithuania to Poland will be 2.4 GWh/hour, equivalent to 1.9 bcm/year. The capacity in the direction from Poland to Lithuania will be 2.6 GWh/hour, equivalent to 2 bcm/year. GIPL will reach full capacity in October 2022.
Capacity reservations can be made at the Santaka interconnector (connection point between Poland and Lithuania) using the GSA Platform. In April, we sold 1,000 kWh/h in the continuous capacity auction for May 2022 in the direction to Lithuania. In addition, in the interruptible capacity auction for the same period, we sold 861,000 kWh/h in the direction to Poland.
The GIPL project was aimed to create a bi-directional gas transmission pipeline linking the natural gas transmission systems of Poland and Lithuania, thus eliminating so-called ‘energy islands’, i.e. regions hitherto not integrated into the EU energy market, such as Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, as well as Finland.
The gas pipeline construction was granted the status of a 'Project of Common Interest' (PCI) and is co-financed by the European Union under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and the Trans European Networks - Energy (TEN-E) instruments.
