Improved safety of gas transport from Germany – start-up of a new compressor at the Jeleniów Gas Pumping Station

Photo of the article On 29 September 2009, Gas Transmission Operator GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. started up a new compressor at the Jeleniów Gas Pumping Station.
The additional compressor will enable repair work to be carried out without the need to switch the station off. Periodic inspections and overhauls, as well as normal operation works will be performed while the remaining two compressors keep functioning as normal. This will allow round-the-clock work of the Station and uninterrupted reception of gas contracted in Germany via the facility at Lasowo near Zgorzelec, thus considerably improving the security of gas imports from that direction.
The extension of the Jeleniów Gas Pumping Station is very important from the point of view of the development of the facility at Lasowo currently carried out by GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. and the increase of the gas transport capacity from Germany. By the end of 2011, GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. plans to boost the technical capability of receiving gas from Germany from the current 0.9 to 1.5 billion cubic metres per annum. In order to enable additional gas volumes to be transmitted, the Company intends to build and modernise over 200 km of high pressure gas pipelines in Lower Silesia.
The main investments include building the following pipelines operating in the high methane gas system:
  • Jeleniów - Dziwiszów (65 km),
  • Taczalin – Radakowice (32 km),
  • Radakowice – Gałów (7 km),

and modernising the Dziwiszów – Taczalin pipeline (54 km),
Also, the Polkowice – Żary (85 km) pipeline operating in the nitrided gas system will be constructed.
Currently, work continues on the development of the design documentation for these pipelines, introduction of the projects in the local land use plans and gaining access to the sites.
The value of the investment projects in the high methane gas system is estimated at approximately PLN 270 million, and in the nitrided gas system at PLN 80 million. The funds for the development of gas pipelines in Lower Silesia will come from the Company and the European Union, i.e. from the Infrastructure and Environment Operating Programme (PLN 65 million towards the Jeleniów – Dziwiszów pipeline and PLN 28.3 million towards the Polkowice – Żary project).
The development of the node at Lasowo and the gas pipelines system in Lower Silesia has been classified by the Polish Government as strategic investment projects in the area of improving the energy security of the country. Thanks to these investments it will be possible to increase gas imports from Germany.
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Gas Transmission Operator GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. is a wholly-owned State Treasury Company responsible for transmitting natural gas and managing the transmission network in Poland. By the year 2014 GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. plans to build in Poland approximately 1,000 km of new gas pipelines, including more than 200 km in Lower Silesia.
GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. is responsible for the connections between the gas systems of the Czech Republic and Poland near Cieszyn, as well as for the extension of the connection at Lasowo on the Polish-German border. The implementation of these projects will create new technical capabilities of transporting gas to Poland and enable the receipt of increased volumes of gas imported from the west and south.
GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. is also the owner of Polskie LNG sp. z o.o. responsible for the construction and operation of the LNG terminal in Świnoujście.
The Jeleniów Gas Pumping Station is located at Wykroty in Nowogrodziec Municipality. The station is a system of devices used for compressing, regulating and metering the flow of the gas stream. At present, the transmission system operated by GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. includes 14 such facilities, with another being built in Goleniów near Szczecin.