Gas transmission system operator Amber Grid published a notice of public procurement, during which a contractor for implementation of the strategic project of enhancement of the Lithuanian-Latvia gas interconnection ELLI will be selected. 

 

 

In 2019, the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) granted financing for the implementation of the project. The total investment into the project is planned to be EUR 10.2 million. Lithuanian share of the investment into the project will amount to EUR 4.7 million. An agreement with the successful tenderer is planned to be signed this year, while the whole project is expected to be completed by 2024. 

 

'Having enhanced gas transmission capacities between Lithuania and Latvia, we will create more favourable conditions for the market to use Klaipėda LNG terminal, Latvian Inčukalns underground gas storage, and starting from 2022 - also GIPL interconnection with Poland. Once another gas supply source from the continent of Europe opens, we will have to transmit bigger gas flows through Lithuania to Latvia, Estonia, and Finland, and in the future the infrastructure will help us to ensure green hydrogen transportation', said Amber Grid CEO Nemunas Biknius. 

 

During the implementation of the project, the capacities of Kiemėnai gas metering station will be enhanced and the gas pipeline near Panevėžys gas compressor station will be renovated. The main gas pipeline in Latvia will be upgraded to enable increase of the maximum working pressure up to 50 bar. The project is implemented by the Lithuanian and Latvian transmission system operators Amber Grid and Conexus Baltic Grid.

 

The investment is expected to increase the gas interconnection capacity up to 130.5 GWh per day in the Latvian direction and up to 119.5 GWh per day into the Lithuanian direction. The project implementation will result in creation of capacities enabling transportation of up to 47.6 TWh gas per year to Latvia, and up to 43.6 TWh per year to Lithuania. 

 

The strategic energy project ELLI is included into the EU List of Projects of Common Interest, the development plan of the European Network of Gas Transmission System Operators for the decade, and the implementation plan of priority projects of the National electricity and natural gas transmission infrastructure.     

 

ELLI is the third strategic energy project implemented by Amber Grid. In 2015, laying of Klaipėda-Kuršėnai gas interconnection was completed, and currently the implementation of the gas interconnection with Poland GIPL is in the final stage.

 

More information about the ELLI project is available  here.