Gas flow to Poland via Baltic Pipe to be temporarily halted

The Baltic Pipe gas pipeline will be temporarily shut down on Monday due to a technical reason, according to the Danish gas network operator.

"Energinet is preparing for full capacity of Baltic Pipe, and this will require a temporary shutdown of the pipeline," Energinet said in a statement on Friday.

"The Baltic Pipe gas pipeline is now close to full capacity. Due to necessary adjustments, the gas flow to Poland will be suspended from Monday, November 28, at 6:00 a.m.," reads the statement.

Energinet added that, on Tuesday November 29, the compressor station in Southern Zealand would be put into operation, and the gas flow will gradually increase.

According to Energinet, the full capacity in the Baltic Pipe will be reached on Wednesday, November 30. Full capacity is planned to be up to 10 billion cubic metres of gas per year.

During the shutdown, gas will still be supplied from the North Sea to the Nybro receiving terminal in Western Jutland.

According to a spokeswoman for Gaz-System, the Polish gas network operator, the shutdown is necessary for the pipeline to reach full capacity.

"The Polish transmission system has several gas entrance points and is connected with Poland's neighbours, namely, Lithuania, Slovakia and Germany," Iwona Dominiak said, adding that Poland also had an LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) terminal.

"Owing to this, a temporary break in gas supply from one direction has no impact on the continuity of gas deliveries to customers," she concluded.

The Baltic Pipe is a multi-billion joint venture by Polish and Danish gas operators Gaz-System and Energinet linking Norwegian gas fields to Poland and Denmark. Gaz-System is the owner and operator of the part of the pipeline that stretches from the coast of the Danish island of Zealand and runs to Poland on the bed of the Baltic Sea.