Page 11 - EurOil Week 43 2022

EurOil PIPELINES & TRANSPORT EurOil

Czech gas capacity

95% full

CZECH REPUBLIC THE Czech finance minister told parliament authorities seized unused gas capacity at Dam-
that gas storage facilities in the country are nearly borice facility which is operated by Moravian
The question of who 95% full which translates to more than 3.2bn Gas Storage, JV owned by Gazprom and MND
caused the leaks is cubic metres (bcm) of stored gas. Zbynek Stan- (Moravske naftove doly), part the KKCG hold-
creating sabotages. jura made the statement during the parliamen- ing of companies of Czech billionaire Karel
tary session which greenlighted the 2023 state Komarek.
budget with the deficit of CZK295bn (€12bn). The finance minister reiterated that national
Stanjura said the current warm weather is budgets across the EU are under pressure due
helping decrease the gas consumption across to soaring energy prices and high inflation. As
Europe. Czechia is one of the most energy part of its budget proposal the cabinet predicts
dependent countries on Russia and following a slowing down of consumer prices by about a
the Russian invasion of Ukraine the country has half when compared to this year, and the aver-
been looking for ways to diversify its energy port- age annual inflation could drop from this year’s
folio including a push for LNG imports or estab- 16.2% to 8.8% next year. Growth of the economy
lishment of west and north-oriented gas pipeline is projected to slow from 2.2% to 1.1%.
connectors. Environmental and energy analysts Stanjura praised that despite the external
point out that Czechia still has not tapped into its pressures “investment activity of the state has
full potential in renewable resources. been preserved”. Some CZK203bn are allocated
Czechia also adopted legislation earlier this for investments out of which CZK127bn are
year forcing the gas storage facilities operators to national money and CZK76bn come from EU
auction unused capacities. In the summer Czech resources. ™

Lithuanian-Polish gas pipeline successfully

tested at max capacity

BALTICS THE Lithuanian-Polish gas interconnector Holovschizy gas compressor station in Poland in
GIPL has been tested at its maximum capacity, late September, which allowed the GIPL to reach
The pipeline was LRT.lt, the website of Lithuanian public broad- its designed capacity. In Lithuania, the gas pres-
launhced on May 1. caster LRT, reported on October 21. sure in this pipeline is provided by the Jauniunai
Two tests were carried out to make sure the gas compressor station.
pipeline can transmit the full gas flow in accord- The pipeline has been used extensively since
ance with the technical parameters of the GIPL its launch on May 1 and it has been used to
construction without any disturbances. Accord- commercially transport almost 1 TWh of gas
ing to the assessment of the Lithuanian and Pol- to Lithuania for the needs of the country and
ish TSOs operating the GIPL interconnection, other northern countries and 4.2 TWh of gas to
the tests were successful, Amber Grid, Lithua- Poland.
nia’s gas transmission system operator, said on The GIPL pipeline is currently used by ten
October 20. market players.
During the tests, the maximum gas flow, both com- The Lithuanian-Polish GIPL pipeline, which
ing to Lithuania and going to Poland, was achieved, became operational in May 2022, connected the
Nemunas Biknius, CEO at Amber Grid, said. Baltic and Finnish gas markets to the European
The tests followed the commissioning of the Union, LRT.lt reported. ™

Week 43 29•October•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P11