Amber Grid has signed an agreement with the Lithuanian Business Support Agency under which European Union support will be allocated for the reconstruction of 18 km of sections of the Vilnius–Kaunas gas pipeline.
The value of the reconstruction project is EUR 17.1 million, half of which – EUR 8.6 million – will be financed from EU Structural Funds. This investment was also approved by the National Energy Regulatory Council (NERC) in early May.
The sections of the gas pipeline that are planned to be reconstructed stretch through settlements and commercial territories within the Kaunas and Kaišiadorys district municipalities. Parts of the pipeline are being renovated to ensure safe and uninterrupted gas transmission.
The Vilnius–Kaunas gas pipeline is also important because of the international gas interconnection Poland–Lithuania (GIPL) that is currently under construction.
‘It is important to ensure gas transmission capacity in this corridor due to the needs of Lithuanian system users and the increasingly intensive commercial gas flow supply from the Klaipėda LNG terminal to Lithuanian consumers and to Latvia. Once the gas interconnection with Poland is launched, there will be opportunities to use the Klaipėda LNG terminal more efficiently by transporting gas to Poland as well,” says Amber Grid CEO Nemunas Biknius.
Digital technologies will be used for reconstruction of the part of the gas route that is important for international gas flows – innovative corrosion sensors will be installed in the gas pipeline that will remotely provide data which will allow conclusions to be drawn about the condition of the gas pipeline. Adequate pipeline corrosion protection is crucial for ensuring the safety and reliability of the gas pipeline system.
Reconstruction of the gas pipeline sections is planned to be completed by mid-2023. A tender for reconstruction design works will be announced in the near future.
