Balticconnector Gas Pipeline

This article is part of the Global Fossil Infrastructure Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor and the Center for Media and Democracy.

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Balticconnector Gas Pipeline is a proposed bi-directional natural gas pipeline project between Inkoo, Finland and Paldiski, Estonia, which will connect Estonian and Finnish gas grids.

Location

The pipeline will link Inkoo, Finland to Paldiski, Estonia.

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Project Details

• Operator: Elering‎; Baltic Connector OY
• Proposed capacity:7.2 million cubic meters per day
• Length: 150 kilometers
• Status: Construction
• Start Year: 2020

Background

The 150 kilometer natural gas pipeline will be segmented into three divisions; a 22km Finnish onshore section, an 81 kilometer offshore section on the seabed of the Gulf of Finland, and a 47 kilometer Estonian onshore section. The project will be composed of the construction of pipeline systems, stations and facilities to connect the existing gas networks in Finland and Estonia. The capacity of the pipeline will be 7.2 million cubic meters per day. The total cost of the project is reported to be 250 million Euros. 75% of the project was funded by European Union’s Connecting Europe Facility fund. The pipeline is scheduled to begin construction in 2018 and come online in 2020.

As of July 2019, construction work for the offshore portion of the pipeline was complete, including pipe laying and shielding. Next, the offshore pipeline will be pressure-tested in July-August of 2019, after which the pipeline will be emptied and dried. The offshore pipeline will be connected to the onshore pipelines in Finland and Estonia during the fall of 2019. The pipeline is expected to be fully ready at the end of 2019, and gas will start to flow in the pipeline on 1 January 2020 as the Finnish gas market opens. In November 2019 the Finnish and Estonian parts of the pipeline were successfully connected and gas-flow was established.