The project started in 2001, when Danish oil and gas company DONG and Polish oil and gas company PGNiG signed an agreement on construction of the pipeline and Danish gas supply to Poland. It was agreed to establish a pipeline consortium with two-third shares belonging to DONG and one-third to PGNiG with possible Statoil participation. However, shortly afterward the project was suspended, because of economic feasibility. The project was revived in 2007. On 2 May 2007, PGNiG and Energinet.dk, a Danish transmission system operator, which was taken over Danish natural gas transmission network from DONG, signed an agreement to explore the possibility of construction the Baltic Pipe. In August 2008, the Polish Government replaced PGNiG with the fully state-owned pipeline operator Gaz-System as the project partner. On 18 May 2009, the European Commission launched a call for proposals for grants in the framework of the European Energy Programme for Recovery. It proposed to allocate about €150 million for implementation of Skanled and Baltic Pipe projects. The European Commission provided €3.2 million for technical design of the pipeline. However, on 16 June 2009 Gaz-System suspended the implementation of the project due to suspension of the Skanled project and lack of natural gas demand in Poland. The project was reactivated by Poland in February 2010 after reviewing the project. The current project was initiated in 2016 when a new feasibility study was conducted. The project was included in the first list of projects of common interest by the European Commission in 2013, and the binding list on 18 November 2015. On 24 November 2017, it was included for the third time. In mid-2017, Energinet and Gaz-System launched the open season procedure. In January 2018, they signed 15-year capacity agreements with market participants. In 2018, public hearings took place in Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Poland. In July 2018, a €18.3 million subsidy was granted from the Connecting Europe Facility. In April 2019, €214.9 million funding was granted to the project by the European Commission. In 2018-2020, the analytical, survey and design works are being carried out in order to obtain the required permits for construction and operation of the Baltic offshore pipeline.
Technical features
The original submarine pipeline was to connect Faxe South in Denmark and Niechorze-Pogorzelica in Poland. The cost of building that pipeline was estimated at €335-350 million, depending on the diameter of the pipe. It was planned to be built allowing gas flows in both directions. The current project consists of five major segments:
The North Sea offshore pipeline – An offshore pipeline between the Norwegian gas system in the North Sea and the Danish gas transmission system. It will be tie-in to Europipe II, which connects Norway and Germany. Its landfall will be on the west coast of Denmark near Blaabjerg. The offshore pipeline will be built and operated by Energinet.
Onshore Denmark – expansion of the existing Danish transmission system from West to East, including of new pipelines. The planned expansions in Denmark include construction of a new pipeline from Blaabjerg to Nybro, construction of a receiving plant at Nybro, construction of a new pipeline from Egtved to the Little Belt, construction of a new pipeline across the Little Belt, construction of a new pipeline over Fyn from the Little Belt to Nyborg, construction of a new pipeline on Zealand from Kongsmark to the Baltic Sea offshore landfall at the southeaster part of Zealand. It will be built and operated by Energinet.
A compressor station in Denmark located on the eastern part of Zealand, which is necessary for the pipeline between Denmark and Poland. It will also ensure the reverse flow. It will be built and operated by Energinet, and it is co-financed by Gaz-System.
The Baltic Sea offshore pipeline of between Denmark and Poland providing bi-directional transmission of gas. The route goes through the Danish and Polish maritime areas and Swedish exclusive economic zone with the preferred landfalls in Faxe South Denmark and in Niechorze–Pogorzelica in Poland. The offshore pipeline will be built and operated by Gaz-System.
Onshore Poland – expansion of the Polish gas transmission system, including new pipeline and three gas compressor stations. It consists of construction of the onshore gas pipeline connecting the offshore gas pipeline to the national transmission system, construction of the Goleniów–Lwówek pipeline, extension of the Goleniów gas compressor station, construction of the Gustorzyn gas compressor station, and extension of the Odolanów gas compressor station. It will be built and operated by Gaz-System.
It will have gas transportation capacity of from Norway to Denmark and Poland, and from Poland to Denmark. The pipeline from the North Sea to Poland is expected to have a total length of.
