Baltic Gas Interconnector

The Baltic Gas Interconnector was a project of the natural gas submarine pipeline between Germany, Denmark and Sweden. The pipeline would connect the existing pipeline networks of southern Scandinavian and Continental European countries in order to secure uninterrupted supply of natural gas.[1]

For the planned subsea pipeline between Denmark and Poland, see Baltic Pipe. For the planned subsea pipeline between Estonia and Finland, see Balticconnector.

Baltic Gas Interconnector
Location
Country	Germany Denmark Sweden
From	Rostock
Passes through	Baltic Sea
To	Avedøre and Trelleborg
General information
Type	natural gas
Partners	DONG Energy HNG VNG - Verbundnetz Gas AG E.ON Sverige Göteborgs Energi Lunds Energi Öresundskraft
Expected	cancelled
Technical information
Length	200 km (120 mi)
Maximum discharge	3 billion cubic metres (110×10^^9 cu ft)
Diameter	32 in (813 mm)

Route

In Germany, landfall of the pipeline was to be in Rostock area.[2] The German onshore section was to include a compressor station and a connection to the existing gas network. The length of planned offshore section was around 200 kilometres (120 mi). The Danish landing point was to be in Avedøre, and the pipeline was planned to connect with the Avedøre power plant. In Sweden, the landing point was to be in Trelleborg and the Swedish onshore section was to continue approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) to the existing gas grid.

Technical features

The pipeline was designed for a pressure of 150 bars (15 MPa) with a diameter of 28 to 32 inches (710 to 810 mm). The planned annual capacity was 3 billion cubic metres (110 billion cubic feet) with option for later increase up to 10 billion cubic metres (350 billion cubic feet).[3]

The consortium to build the Baltic Gas Interconnector consisted of DONG Energy (originally Energi E2), Hovedstadsregionens Naturgas (HNG), VNG - Verbundnetz Gas AG, E.ON Sverige AB, Göteborgs Energi, Lunds Energi and Öresundskraft.[1][3]

Feasibility study

The feasibility study which was completed in 2001 included market assessment, seabed survey, offshore and onshore installations estimated total cost to be €225 million ($202.3 million). The pipeline was scheduled to become operational circa 2004–2005.[4] Environmental impact assessment started in 2002. Authorization from Swedish government was given in 2004, by Denmark – in 2005. The last phase of authorization was to come from Germany, in 2006. The project has not been implemented yet.

During the initial stages of the project, gas was planned to transported from the North Sea which is now in depletion. Consequently, Russian gas has been considered as an alternative source for the pipeline. However, due to considerations for linking Nord Stream pipeline to Swedish pipeline network, implementation of BGI is being revisited. [5]

References

1. "Baltic Gas Interconnector Info". Baltic Gas Interconnector. Archived from the original on 12 April 2005. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
2. IEA (2004). Energy Policies of IEA Countries: Sweden 2004. OECD. p. 80. ISBN 978-92-64-10793-9.
3. IEA (2008). Energy Policies of IEA Countries: Sweden 2008 (PDF). OECD. p. 67. ISBN 978-92-64-04333-6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
4. "EU nod for Baltic gas pipe". Upstream Online. NHST Media Group. 19 March 2001. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
5. "Inquiry pursuant to Article 17 of Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 into the European gas and electricity sectors (Final Report)" (PDF). Commission of the European Communities. January 2007. Retrieved 1 December 2009. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

External links

• Baltic Gas Interconnector (archive page)