In implementing the Gas Interconnection Poland–Lithuania (GIPL) project, gas transmission system operator Amber Grid is managing all project risks according to a risk management plan prepared specifically for the project.
After assessing the risks associated with the solution proposed by the contractor to purchase the gas pipeline construction parts from a supplier registered in Switzerland, it was decided in early June to look for another solution.
Equipment from the Swiss supplier has neither been ordered nor delivered to Lithuania or the GIPL construction sites. The equipment will not be used in this project. The value of the equipment in question accounts for approximately 0.2 per cent of the volume of work ordered by the contractor (approximately EUR 150,000).
The GIPL project is important for Lithuania and the entire region, so Amber Grid is striving to implement the project with utmost quality and punctuality. For this reason, special attention is being paid to both the quality of project management and technical supervision. All final decisions on project implementation and the equipment supplied are made by Amber Grid.
Amber Grid has a control and accountability relationship with the project contractor. As part of the project, processes are in place to ensure the compliance of critical infrastructure elements with the requirements set out in the technical design, as well as their compliance with the highest European Union standards.
The equipment supplied for construction of the GIPL is manufactured by certified, compliant companies in Germany, Denmark, Poland, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. Amber Grid strictly monitors the quality of work and the products used. All equipment received, without exception, has been, is, and will be inspected for actual conformity with the documentation provided by the supplier.
The project contractor, Alvora, was selected through a public tender; as provided by law, its compliance was verified by the Commission for the Coordination of Protection of Objects of Importance to Ensuring National Security.
Since construction of the gas pipeline began in January, 25 per cent – or a quarter – of the entire project has already been implemented. It is planned that two-thirds of the project work will be completed in 2020, paying constant attention to the compliance of the work and equipment used with the requirements set out in the technical specification, work and environmental safety, as well as management of the risks identified in the approved plan; if necessary, the work sequence will also be reviewed. As an example, after the lockdown restrictions were relaxed, the most complex job – horizontal directional drilling (HDD) under the Neris in Elektrėnai Municipality – began last week.
