The Baltic Pipe gas pipeline was inaugurated at a ceremony in Goleniów, Poland, on September 27, 2022, opening a new route for gas from Norway through Denmark to Poland and neighbouring countries, the European Commission said.
Capacity
The pipeline will enable the import of up to 10 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas a year from Norway to Poland and the transmission of 3 bcm annually from Poland to Denmark. Gas transmission is due to begin on October 1.
Security of supply
EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson called the pipeline “a key project for the security of supply of the region,” saying it would help ease the current energy crisis. The project, developed by Denmark’s Energinet and Poland’s Gaz-System, received about €267 million in EU funding through the Connecting Europe Facility and has been a European Project of Common Interest since 2013.
Away from Russian gas
Poland has long sought to end its reliance on Russian gas, and Gazprom halted deliveries to Poland in April after Warsaw refused to pay in roubles. Norway’s Equinor signed a 10-year deal in September to supply Poland’s PGNiG with 2.4 bcm a year through the pipeline.
The inauguration came a day after leaks were discovered on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea, which European officials said were caused by sabotage.
Sources
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