Following the repair of a damaged main gas pipeline in Pasvalys district and inspection of adjacent sections, gas supply capacity to Latvia was fully restored at 13:30 on Monday. Gas transmission capacity has been restored to its pre-incident level of up to 90 gigawatt hours (GWh) per day. The gas transmission system is operating normally and gas consumers have not been inconvenienced by the pipeline incident.
During the gas pipeline rehabilitation works last weekend, Amber Grid has been in regular contact with the community of the nearby village about possible noise during the works, and continues to be in contact with them and to resolve any issues that arise. Over the weekend, the owner of the land plot where the gas pipeline that was involved in the incident was contacted to discuss compensation for damages. Environmental officers working at the site of the incident are investigating the impact on the soil.
In February, Amber Grid specialists will carry out a precautionary investigation of the entire length of the approximately 60 kilometres of gas pipeline built in 1980, where the incident took place. The internal diagnostics of the pipeline uses innovative, digitised solutions to determine the condition of the pipeline from the inside. The internal inspection of the pipeline captures the geometric parameters of the pipe and looks for corrosion or other defects. A device pushed by the flow of gas can travel hundreds of kilometres through a pipeline before it is removed from the system. The information it gathers is analysed by specialists who identify damaged areas of the pipeline and plan repairs after assessing the risk of defects.
Lithuanian legislation requires the gas transmission operator to inspect pipelines every 8 years. Diagnostics of the gas pipeline affected by the incident were carried out in 2011 and 2016. Regular inspections were scheduled for this year as well. The inspections carried out did not reveal any damage to the pipelines. Amber Grid specialists are currently reassessing the data collected during the inspections.
Amber Grid specialists inspect an average of 100-200 km of gas pipelines every year. The inspections are carried out by means of internal diagnostics, whereby smart devices are placed inside the pipeline to scan the pipeline and provide the specialists with information on its condition. This year, Amber Grid had planned to inspect as many as 600 km of gas pipelines. In total, there are 2,285 km of trunk gas pipelines in Lithuania.
Amber Grid, the operator of the gas transmission system, employs 330 people, two-thirds of whom (around 200) are regularly involved in the operation, maintenance and repair of gas pipelines. This work is also carried out by contractors. In 2022, EUR 2.6 million was allocated for pipeline maintenance and repair. The planned investment for 2023 is around EUR 4.5 million.
If you hear a loud whistling noise from the ground or see a fire in the vicinity of a gas pipeline, please call the emergency number 112 immediately.
