Balticconnector Gas Pipeline

From Global Energy Monitor
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Balticconnector Gas Pipeline is a bi-directional natural gas pipeline project between Siuntio, Finland, and Kiili, Estonia, which connects the Estonian and Finnish gas grids.[1][2]

Location

The pipeline links Siuntio, Finland to Paldiski, Estonia.[3][4]

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Project Details

  • Operator: Elering‎[5]; Baltic Connector OY
  • Capacity: 7.2 million cubic meters per day, 2.6 billion cubic meters per year[6]
  • Length: 155 kilometers / 96.31 miles[7]
  • Cost: €250 million (US$282.95 million)[8]
  • Financing: Connecting Europe Facility €3,822,160 grant for preparatory studies and €187,500,000 grant for construction[9]; equity investments of €31,250,000 each from the Finnish state and Elering[10]
  • Status: Operating[11]
  • Start Year: 2020

Background

The 150-kilometer natural gas pipeline is segmented into three divisions; a 22-kilometer Finnish onshore section, an 81-kilometer offshore section on the seabed of the Gulf of Finland, and a 47-kilometer Estonian onshore section.[8] The project is composed of pipeline systems, stations and facilities to connect the existing gas networks in Finland and Estonia. The capacity of the pipeline is 7.2 million cubic meters per day.[12]

The total cost of the project is reported to be 250 million Euros[12][8]. The European Union’s Connecting Europe Facility fund provided the project with a grant of 3,822,160 euros for preparatory studies in 2014, and a further grant of 187,500,000 euros in 2016 which covered 75% of the construction costs.[9] Finland and the Estonian national transmission system operator Elering completed the financing with an equity investment totalling 62,500,000 euros.[10] The pipeline was scheduled to begin construction in 2018[13].

As of July 2019, construction work for the offshore portion of the pipeline was complete, including pipe laying and shielding. The next planned step was to pressure test the offshore pipeline in July-August of 2019, after which the pipeline would be emptied and dried. The offshore pipeline was planned to be connected to the onshore pipelines in Finland and Estonia during the fall of 2019. The pipeline was expected to be fully ready at the end of 2019, and that gas will start to flow in the pipeline on 1 January 2020 as the Finnish gas market opens.[14]

In November 2019 the Finnish and Estonian parts of the pipeline were successfully connected and gas-flow was established.[15] The pipeline began operation on January 1, 2020.[16]

In October 2023, the Balticconnector pipeline was shut down due to a leak. The leak was initially suspected to have occurred due to an explosion, although Finnish investigators later found the pipeline had been damaged by a loose anchor.[17][18]

In November 2023, Upstream reported that the pipeline was expected to be brought back online in Q2 2024. The capacity of the pipeline will be expanded to 6.3 million cubic metres per day along with the repairs.[18]

In April 2024, following successful repair work, the pipeline recommenced operations.[11]

Identifiers

European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas (ENTSOG) refers to the project on its Ten Year Network Development Plan as TRA-F-895 in Estonia and TRA-F-928 in Finland.[19]

It's Project of Common Interest (PCI) number is 8.1.1.[20][21]

Sci_Grid in its combined IGG gas transmission network data set refers to the pipeline as INET_PL_11270, INET_PL_11271, INET_PL_1130.[22]

Articles and resources

References

  1. Balticconnector, The Project accessed Jan. 10, 2020
  2. Balticconnector, Wikipedia, accessed March 2018
  3. INNOVATION AND NETWORKS EXECUTIVE AGENCY (December 2020). "Balticconnector works". Europa.eu. Retrieved December 9, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas (October 2020). "TYNDP 2020 - MAP – Transmission" (PDF). ENTSOG. Retrieved December 4, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. Ziegenhagen, Linus (2020-09-15). "Analysis of Promoters' ­Submissions — ENTSOG TYNDP 2020". ENTSOG. Retrieved 2020-12-01. {{cite web}}: soft hyphen character in |title= at position 24 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. Vladimir Afanasiev, Finland joins Estonia in regasification project, Upstream, Apr. 7, 2022
  7. European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas (November 25, 2020). "TYNDP 2020 Annex A.2 – Project Tables". ENTSOG. Retrieved December 2, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Balticconnector Transnational Pipeline Hydrocarbons Technology, accessed Jan. 10, 2020
  9. 9.0 9.1 Balticconnector pipeline connecting the gas networks of Finland and Estonia ready for use on 1 January 2020, European Commission, accessed Dec. 7, 2020
  10. 10.0 10.1 Balticconnector (152KM), IJGlobal, May 12, 2017
  11. 11.0 11.1 Nadja Skopljak, Balticconnector gas pipeline back in operation following six-month shut-down, Offshore Energy, April 22, 2024
  12. 12.0 12.1 Baltic Connector accessed March 2018
  13. John Pagni, The Finland-Estonia gas pipeline is a ‘high-level project for the EU’ – breaking the dependency on Russia, Business Insider Nordic, May 24, 2017
  14. Laxman Pai, Balticconnector Offshore Pipeline Completed Marine Link, July 16, 2019
  15. Estonia-Finland natural gas link established as Balticconnector filled, err.ee, Nov. 29, 2019
  16. Balticconnector gas pipeline up and running since 1 January 2020 European Commission, Jan. 8, 2020 (accessed Jan. 10, 2020)
  17. "Balticonnector gas leak probably had 'external' cause | Argus Media". www.argusmedia.com. 2023-10-10. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  18. 18.0 18.1 Afanasiev (v_afanasiev), Vladimir (2023-11-24). "Finland to boost Balticconnector capacity after repairs". Upstream Online | Latest oil and gas news. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
  19. Ziegenhagen, Linus (2020-09-15). "Analysis of Promoters' ­Submissions — ENTSOG TYNDP 2020". European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas. Retrieved 2020-12-01. {{cite web}}: soft hyphen character in |title= at position 24 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. "Pipe down: Gas companies' control over billions in EU subsidies". Global Witness. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
  21. INNOVATION AND NETWORKS EXECUTIVE AGENCY (December 2020). "Studies for Balticconnector". europa.eu. Retrieved December 2020. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |access-date= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. Diettrich, Pluta, Medrjoubi (July 23, 2020). "The combined IGG gas transmission network data set". DLR Institute for Networked Energy Systems. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

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