GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. has received another UE co-funding for preparatory work to the Baltic Pipe.

Photo of the article The European Commission has decided on 26 May 2010 to grant EU co-funding (under TEN-E 2009 programme) to GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. for studies related to the pre-investment phase for the Baltic Pipe, a gas pipeline to link Poland and Denmark.
The Baltic Pipe is of interest to the European Commission, and can in the future form part of what is called a Scandinavian Gas Ring. An interconnection between the Polish and Danish gas transmission systems would allow to diversify the supply sources and routes for gas in Europe, by linking the transmission systems of the Baltic region with other EU countries. This pipeline would enable gas supplies from the Norwegian continental shelf through the Skanled pipeline or another Norway-Denmark connection. The Baltic Pipe would be connected through the Polish transmission system to the LNG Terminal at Świnoujście, and thus provide Scandinavian countries with access to the global market for liquefied natural gas (LNG) using the Polish transmission infrastructure.
The maximum financial support for the project, under trans-European transport and energy networks funding, will amount to EUR 1.12 million, which is 50% of the estimated eligible project costs. These funds will be used, among other things, to conduct a geotechnical survey of the sea-bed and environmental monitoring.
This is the second financial support to preparatory work for the Baltic Pipe under the EU’s TEN-E programme. GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. received the first funding for that project in June 2009 under the 2008 TEN-E. The co-funding amounted to EUR 3.19 million, with a maximum ceiling for GAZ-SYSTEM’s activities at 50%. In 2008, GAZ-SYSTEM has applied for financial support to carry out, among other things, geophysical survey of the sea bed and the administrative procedure.
The support to the Baltic Pipe project will allow the company to conduct the pre-investment phase of that project.  If there is a market interest in gas transmission through that pipeline, GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. will launch an Open Season procedure for that link, in accordance with the ERGEG guidelines.
In addition to the TEN-E energy funding, GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. also uses funds from other EU programmes. The company benefits from the “Infrastructure and Environment” Operational Programme, under which it can receive about PLN 1.2 billion. Under another programme – European Energy Programme for Recovery – the European Commission has selected as many as three GAZ-SYSTEM’s investment projects; the financial support for these projects will approach EUR 75 million.