The natural gas interconnection between Poland and Slovakia has opened and will enable Poland to import 5.7 billion cubic metres of the resource yearly. The 164-kilometres-long pipe will also grant Slovakia access to 4.7 billion cubic metres of natural gas. The new pipeline, part of the North-South Gas Corridor, will join the gas terminal in Świnoujście and Baltic Pipe with natural gas infrastructure in south-eastern Poland. New connections and new sources are likely to increase the storage capabilities in the region and cover a large part of the national demand for the resource.
Additionally, the new interconnection managed by Gaz-System and EUSTREAM will benefit local communities. The companies are going to pay two percent of the value of the investment to the local governments. The additional income is likely to be used to finance new infrastructure in underdeveloped south-eastern Poland. Testing of the new pipe ended at the end of May on the Polish side of the border. The construction of the new pipeline was partially financed by the EU through the Connecting Europe Facility programme. Both companies received EUR 33 mln from the EU’s budget. The European Commission has approved the investment as a “Project of Common Interest”, which makes it of key importance for energy and climate policy.