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European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency
News article27 April 2022European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency

CEF Energy: EU-funded energy projects more crucial than ever after Russia cuts off gas supply to Poland and Bulgaria

GIPL

On 27 April, Russia’s Gazprom has announced the disruption of gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria over their refusal to pay gas in rubles, upon a decision by the Russian President.

In this context, the projects funded by the Connecting Europe Facility programme (CEF Energy) are extremely important to ensure security of gas supply and the ability to cope with the interruption of gas imports in these countries, which are heavily relying on Russian gas imports.

Actions in Poland

When it comes to Poland, the Baltic Pipe is a crucial strategic gas infrastructure project aiming at creating a new gas supply corridor in the European market. It includes the construction of 900 km of infrastructure and aims to be ready by October 2022. It will allow transport of gas from Norway to the Danish and Polish markets, as well as to end-users in neighbouring countries. The Baltic Pipe will make possible the import of up to 10 bcm/y of gas from Norway to Poland through Denmark and the transmission of 3 bcm/y of gas from Poland to Denmark.

Other two examples of important projects in the region are the Gas Interconnection Poland-Lithuania (GIPL) and Poland-Slovakia (PL-SK) gas Interconnector.

GIPL project aims for a better-integrated and interconnected gas supply market and for increased European energy independence from unreliable suppliers. Overall, the new GIPL pipeline will have a capacity of 2.4 bcm/year in the direction PL to LT and up to 1.9 bcm/year in the direction LT to PL.

PL-SK Interconnector project aims to connect the natural gas transmission networks in the two countries and ensure North-South gas reverse flows in Central Eastern and South Eastern Europe. The new cross-border infrastructure will have a maximum capacity of 5.7 bcm/y in the direction SK to PL and of 4.7 bcm/y in the direction PL to SK.

All three projects are planned to be completed before the end of 2022.

A total amount of EUR 635,037,873 has been awarded under CEF Energy to these projects.

Actions in Bulgaria

Given the increasing importance of underground gas storage (UGS) to ensure EU's security of supply and market flexibility, last autumn a CEF Energy grant was awarded to the expansion of Chiren UGS in Bulgaria. This grant will fund the works to create the infrastructure allowing to alleviate the effects of severe emergency and to safeguard the supply of gas to solidarity-protected citizens in the region, in line with the Security of Gas Supply Regulation. Upon completion of the project, the volume of stored active gas will be up to 1 bcm, while the average daily injection and withdrawal rates will reach up to 8-10 mcm/day.

This is in addition to the financial support provided in earlier years to the rehabilitation of the Bulgarian gas transmission network (increase in gas transmission capacity of 2.4 bcm/y), which is almost completed, and the interconnection Bulgaria-Serbia (increase in gas transmission capacity of 1.8 bcm/y). This interconnection will also contribute to the security and diversification of gas supplies and routes and the interconnectivity of the Bulgarian gas transmission system.

A total amount of EUR 137,759,345 has been awarded under CEF Energy to these projects.

More information

To know more about CEF Energy funded Actions contributing to the security of energy supply in the EU read this article.

 

Details