The agreement was signed by representatives of the Lithuanian and Polish gas transmission system operators – Amber Grid (Lithuania) and Gaz-System (Poland) – and the Innovations & Networks Executive Agency responsible for financing strategic EU projects.
The signing ceremony was attended by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė, Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz, Latvian Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma and Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Roivas.
The GIPL project is part of the plan to integrate the Baltic region into a single EU gas market. GIPL is said to bring socio-economic benefits to the three Baltic states and Finland (for the latter once the gas interconnector between Finland and Estonia is constructed).
The project is being implemented by Lithuania jointly with the Polish gas transmission system operator – Gaz-System S.A. The preparatory works for the GIPL project were started in 2009, a GIPL business environment analysis was prepared in 2013, and a GIPL feasibility study was completed in 2013.
700mm wide gas pipeline will connect Lithuania’s Jauniūnai and Poland’s Rembelszczyzna compressor stations. The pipeline will run 534km long, 177km of which will be laid in Lithuania. The cost of the project is EUR 558 million – EUR 422 million for Poland and EUR 136 million for Lithuania. GIPL operation launch is scheduled for the end of 2019.
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