Preparations for the disconnection of Russian gas continue. Slovakia will soon open a new gas pipeline from Poland
The Slovak-Polish gas connection is technically almost complete and its functional tests should begin in July. Karol Galek, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy, informed about it on Friday.
“After last year’s important milestone, after the so-called golden weld, when there was a real interconnection of Slovak and Polish gas pipelines, only finishing work is currently being done on the Slovak side,” Galek specified. According to him, the ministry will continue to adhere to the work schedule so that Slovakia can import from the north as soon as possible. “By connecting to the Polish network, we have the opportunity to use the entire active LNG system,” the secretary added.
The interconnection of gas systems in Slovakia and Poland is one of the largest energy infrastructure projects in Slovakia and forms a key part of the North-South gas interconnection corridor in Central and Eastern Europe. Upon completion, it will have a transport capacity of 5.1 billion cubic meters (m3) in the direction of Slovakia and 6.1 billion m3 in the direction to Poland. Such capacity will make it possible to significantly diversify gas sources for Slovakia. “It is precisely at this time that the situation on the gas market is tense for the war in Ukraine. We could also meet the reservoirs for the previous winter season from this direction, “added Galek.
The interconnection pipeline is approximately 164 kilometers (km) long. On the Polish side it is 61.3 km, the length of the Slovak part is 103 km from the state border to the compressor station Veľké Kapušany. The pipeline is already designed for the transport of hydrogen-doped natural gas, as the Slovak carrier, Eustream, has joined the European Hydrogen Backbone pan-European initiative. Construction of the project began in the fall of 2018 and is co-financed by European funds.