Leaders of Poland, Denmark, and Norway officially launched the Baltic Pipe gas pipeline as a key step on the way for Poland and the whole of Europe to cut energy dependency on Russia.
The pipeline was inaugurated at an opening ceremony in Goleniów, Poland, with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Norwegian Energy Minister Terje Aasland participated.
“The era of Russian domination in the field of gas is coming to an end, the era that was marked by blackmail, threats and extortion,” Morawiecki said, quoted by Euronews. “We must do everything we can to eliminate energy as an instrument of Russian power,” added Frederiksen.
Read more: In move away from Russian gas, Lithuanian-Polish gas pipeline comes into operation
The Baltic Pipe is going to be a key route to carry gas from Norway through Denmark to Poland and neighbouring countries. It will make it possible to import up to 10 billion cubic metres of gas annually from Norway to Poland and to transport 3 bcm of gas from Poland to Denmark.
The investment cost at least €1.6 billion, a sum covered by investors: Polish and Danish distribution operators Gaz-System and Energinet. Additionally, the project was co-financed with EU funds.
The Baltic Pipe has been a Project of Common Interest since 2013 and has received around €267 million of EU funding through the Connecting Europe Facility, helping to complete the preparatory studies and construction works necessary for this project, states the European Commission.
EU Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, called the pipeline “a key project for the security of supply of the region and the result of an EU policy drive to diversify sources of gas,” which “will play a valuable role in mitigating the current energy crisis.”
She also congratulated the Polish and Danish authorities on finishing the project and “achieving an important milestone for the EU infrastructure policy.”
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