The first-ever capacity auction for gas connections with Denmark, Lithuania and was launched on Monday allowing gas to be brought to Poland from different directions. This is the result of the launch of gas interconnectors: Poland-Denmark (Baltic Pipe), Poland-Lithuania and Poland-Slovakia. The interconnectors can transport gas in both directions.

Announcing the auction, Gaz-System CEO Tomasz Stępień noted that the company is finalising its largest-ever investment programme.

“This allows the national transmission operator to make three new interconnectors available for the capacity market, which enables natural gas to be brought into Poland from multiple directions and sources”, said Stępień.

At the end of June, Gaz-System announced that it had carried out technical acceptance of the Goleniów – Ciecierzyce gas pipeline. Thus, the key 191-kilometre onshore section of the Baltic Pipe is ready for commissioning and gasification.

The Baltic Pipe pipeline will create a new supply route for natural gas from Norway to the Danish and Polish markets and to end-users in neighbouring countries. Ultimately, the pipeline will be able to transport a maximum of 10 bcm of gas per year to Poland and 3 bcm from Poland to Denmark. According to the plans, it is scheduled to start operating on 1 October 2022 and reach full capacity at the beginning of 2023.

At the beginning of May, Gaz-System completed the construction of an interconnector joining Poland and Lithuania. The 508km-long GIPL gas pipeline connected the gas transmission systems operated by Gaz-System and AB Amber Grid. The pipeline will reach its full capacity in October 2022.

Construction work to connect the transmission systems of Poland and Slovakia was completed at the end of May. The 164-kilometre-long Poland-Slovakia bi-directional gas pipeline, executed by Gaz-System and Eustream, connected the gas hub in Strachocin with the Wielkie Kapuszany compressor station in Slovakia.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński