Polish and Slovak Premiers Open Interconnecting Pipeline Between Two Countries
Bratislava/Strachocina, August 26 (TASR) – Premier Eduard Heger (OLaNO) and his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki on Friday officially opened a Polish-Slovak interconnecting pipeline that will enable a diversification of gas supplies.
The two premiers stressed the security dimension of the new pipeline, as it will help to reduce the dependence of central European countries on Russian gas supplies significantly.
“The connection between north and south that we have accomplished by this will give us a new feeling of security. It gives us a feeling of freedom that we can acquire an alternative that won’t be dependent on Russian gas,” stated Heger.
The Polish premier called the interconnection a “pipeline of peace”, at the same time criticising Germany’s energy policy, especially the construction of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 Baltic pipelines, which increased Europe’s dependence on Russia. Poland has been pointing to risks related to this dependence for a long time.
The interconnecting pipeline is some 164 kilometres long, with 61.3 km on the Polish side and 103 km on the Slovak side (from the border to the compressor station in Velke Kapusany). The pipeline has already been designed to transport natural gas with a hydrogen admixture, as the Slovak carrier, Eustream, has joined a Pan-European initiative called ‘the European Hydrogen Backbone’. The pipeline’s construction was launched in the autumn of 2018 and was co-financed from EU funds. Its capacity is some 5 billion cubic metres annually.
