(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov.29
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
The final phase of commissioning the Balticconnector pipeline was completed on 28 October 2019 when the offshore pipeline was filled with gas and pressurized as well as connected to Estonia's gas transmission network,Trendreports citing the project's website.
Reportedly, Balticconnector will be in commercial use as of 1 January 2020.
'The pipeline's construction work and laying on the seabed of the Gulf of Finland were completed in summer 2019. To fill the pipeline with gas, it was first rinsed with nitrogen, which was then purged by conveying natural gas behind the pipeline scraper. Once the pipeline scraper, or the 'pig' as it is called in the industry, arrived from Inkoo to Paldiski in Estonia, the pipeline was filled with gas and ready for use,' said the message on the project's website.
'Filling the offshore pipeline with gas means that the Balticconnector pipeline is ready for use. The onshore pipeline was filled with gas earlier, and the trial runs of the Inkoo compressor stations were successfully completed. Everything is in place for bringing the pipeline into operation on 1 January 2020,' says Tom Främling, Project Director of Baltic Connector Oy.
The transmission capacity of the pipeline will be 7.2 million cubic metre (72 GWh) per day. Gas can be transported bi-directionally between Finland and Estonia according to market demand.
The project has been divided into the following subproject:
Onshore pipeline Siuntio-Inkoo (Finland) with a pipe diameter of 500 mm and length of 21 km
Compression and metering station, Inkoo (Finland)
Offshore pipeline Inkoo (Finland) - Paldiski (Estonia) with a pipe diameter of 500 mm and length of 77 km
Compression and metering station, Kersalu (Estonia)
Onshore pipeline Paldiski-Kiili (Estonia) with a pipe diameter of 700 mm and length of 55 km
The Balticconnector pipeline project will play a major role in the energy strategies of both Finland and the EU. The project will:
Improve regional security of supply by diversifying gas sources
Create a framework for market opening and growth and enable the use of alternative sources, such as liquid natural gas (LNG) and biogas
Enables the interconnection of the Finnish and Baltic gas markets and their integration with the EU's common energy market
The total cost of the project is 250 million euros. The project would not be viable without considerable support from the EU. In 2016, the European Commission (CEF) granted funding of EUR 187.5 million to the project.
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