Slovakia aims to boost energy security with a new gas pipeline that is to be built to link the country to Poland.
“We will have another possible source of gas supplies if, for example, there is no transit of gas through Ukraine,” commented Peter Pellegrini, the Prime Minister of Slovakia at a ceremony marking the start of construction.
“The capacity of this connection on the Polish side will allow us to cover the year-round consumption of gas in Slovakia,” he added.
The bi-directional gas pipeline will connect the compressor station in the Great Capuchins and the Polish gas hub in Strachocine. The total length of the interconnection is over 160 kilometres (km),with 103 km of the pipeline situated in Slovakia.
“The schedule of the project assumes that the gas pipeline should be in operation in 2021,” explained general manager of Eustream, Rastislav Nykovic from the largest Slovak gas transmitter.
The total estimated cost for the Slovak side is €142 million. The project received a European Union grant of €55 million and a loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) of €70 million.