GAZ-SYSTEM completed Baltic Pipe construction

On September 27, pipeline launching ceremony was held at the Goleniów gas compressor station with the participation of the President of Poland and representatives of the governments of Poland, Denmark and Norway.

The objective of Baltic Pipe is to diversify sources of gas supply to Poland and Denmark, as well as other countries in the Baltic Sea region and Central and Eastern Europe. The project will provide Poland with direct access to gas deposits located on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The new interconnector between Poland and Denmark will significantly enhance the stability, security and competitiveness of the gas market in this part of Europe.

The President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda and representatives of the governments of the Republic of Poland, the Kingdom of Denmark and the Kingdom of Norway attended the opening ceremony at the Goleniów compressor station.

- For the past years, we have been preparing to gain independence from an unreliable partner – the Russian Federation. Diversification of natural gas supplies to Poland ensures energy security, and the Baltic Pipe interconnector is a symbol of Polish energy sovereignty. In these uncertain times our situation is stable. In the aftermath of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the domestic, but also the European energy sector is now at a turning point. Owing to its geographic location and strategic investment projects, Poland will also have the opportunity to play a key role in ensuring regional security  – said Anna Moskwa, Minister of Climate and Environment.

The opening of Baltic Pipe, a new corridor for natural gas supply from the Norwegian Shelf to Poland, will go down in history as a symbol of breaking away from our country's long-standing energy dependence on Russia. The outbreak of war in Ukraine only confirmed the soundness of the decision of the Polish Government and the actions of my predecessor, Minister Piotr Naimski, to prepare in advance for the threat of a complete cut-off of gas supplies from Russia to Poland and Europe. With the construction of the Baltic Pipe and interconnectors with Slovakia and Lithuania, as well as the expansion of the LNG Terminal in Świnoujście, we feel safe today in terms of our ability to satisfy the demand for gas in winter – said Mateusz Berger, Governmental Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure.

- Baltic Pipe, the first-ever offshore gas pipeline in the history of the domestic gas industry, is the cornerstone of the Polish government's strategy to ensure the national energy security. Over the past 6 years, GAZ-SYSTEM has been implementing an investment program that has resulted in three new interconnectors (with Denmark, Slovakia and Lithuania), the expansion of the LNG terminal and increased capacity of the national network achieved through the construction of new gas pipelines and compressor stations. I am proud to have been able to personally supervise these project – said Tomasz Stępień, President of GAZ-SYSTEM.

- It is a great pleasure for us at Energinet to celebrate – together with our good colleagues from Gassco and GAZ-SYSTEM – that gas very soon can be sent from Norway through Denmark to Polish consumers. Baltic Pipe is a large, common achievement. It has been an unusually complex construction project and we have only come this far because everyone involved has delivered huge efforts and worked together to achieve the goal. It shows how much we are capable of in Europe when we collaborate across borders – said Thomas Egebo, President of the Management Board and CEO of Energinet.

The commissioning of the bi-directional interconnection between Poland and Denmark opens a new route of supply of natural gas extracted in the Norwegian Sea and transported through Denmark and the Baltic Sea to the Polish coast in the West Pomeranian province. The project was implemented by Polish GAZ-SYSTEM and Danish Energinet gas transmission system operators. The part of the project implemented by GAZ-SYSTEM comprised the construction of 275 km of the offshore gas pipeline from Faxe in Denmark to Pogorzelica in Poland, as well as of 231 km of domestic gas pipelines: Goleniów-Lwówek and Niechorze-Ploty sections. The project also involved the expansion of compressor stations in Goleniów and Odolanów as well as the construction of a new compressor station in Gustorzyn. The connection of the Baltic Pipe pipeline with the North-South Corridor that was constructed in Lwówek will enable natural gas imported from the Norwegian Continental Shelf to be delivered to customers in western and southern Poland, while the compressor station in Gustorzyn will allow the distribution in the central and eastern parts of the country.

Baltic Pipe has been recognized by the European Commission as a "Project of Common Interest" (PCI) and has held this status since 2013. The project has received financial support from the European Union under the “Connecting Europe Facility” (CEF). The total funding awarded to date amounts to EUR 266.8 million. The money was used to finance engineering works, the process of obtaining the necessary administrative permits, implementation of construction and installation works and other expenses.

For more information concerning the Baltic Pipe project visit:  www.baltic-pipe.eu  and https://twitter.com/BalticPipe_PL.