Baltic Pipe to start in late November

Full capacity on the 10bn m³/yr Baltic Pipe is to be available in late November, more than a month earlier than originally scheduled, Danish transmission system operator (TSO) Energinet said.

The pipeline was previously expected to reach its full capacity from 1 January 2023, with 3bn m³/yr planned to be available from 1 October. But thanks to an "extraordinary effort" from everyone involved, the remaining sections of pipeline were laid faster than originally expected, allowing full commissioning to take place more than a month early, Energinet's international relations director, Torben Brabo, said.

But while the link's full capacity will be available early, the partial commissioning of the link from 1 October will be at a volume "less than previously calculated", owing to "challenges associated with the technical facilities in Everdrup", Brabo said. Some 62.4 GWh/d — roughly 20pc of the line's capacity — will be available from 1 October, Energinet told Argus. Flows will be "continuously increased" and the capacity reassessed until full commissioning at the end of November, although Energinet does not know the potential increase at this time, the TSO said.

The receiving terminal in western Jutland will have a delay of approximately one week, meaning that Norwegian gas will not enter Denmark through the new terminal until 8 October, Energinet said. But gas is still available in Denmark that can be sent through the pipe in the meantime, the TSO said.

Polish state-controlled PGNiG, which holds more than 8bn m³/yr of the Baltic Pipe's capacity on a long-term basis, recently said that it plans to use 100pc of the link's capacity in the fourth quarter, but this was before the new timeline was released. It is unclear exactly how much gas PGNiG will be able to bring in during this time, but the revised date could make it easier for Poland to cope without Russian gas this winter, particularly given the country's relatively small storage capacity compared with consumption.

By Brendan A'Hearn