Conexus invests €10.6 million in projects of common European interest

In 2021, the single transmission and storage system operator for natural gas, Conexus Baltic Grid JSC (Conexus), continues to implement projects of common European interest - the modernisation of the Inčukalns underground gas storage facility (UGS) and the improvement of the Latvia-Lithuania gas interconnector (ELLI). Out of the total investment of both projects, which amounts to EUR 93.5 million, an average of EUR 10.6 million has been invested in the implementation of the projects in the first 9 months of this year.

In the first 9 months of 2021, €9.7 million were invested in the Inčukalns UGS modernisation project. As part of this project, 6 well workovers have been completed, bringing the total number of well workovers completed during the project to 15 out of 36 well workovers. A contract for the supply of basic technological equipment has also been concluded with the international innovation company Pietro Fiorentini, while the first of five upgrades to gas pumping unit 3 has been completed in compressor shop 2 and one of the five fuel and pulse gas preparation units has been installed. The equipment for the upgrading of gas pumping units 2 and 4 is still to be delivered before the end of the year. Meanwhile, a building permit for the installation of a new gas pumping unit in Compressor House No 1 has been obtained and the evaluation of the tenders submitted for the supply of the gas pumping unit package is ongoing.

Uldis Bariss, Chairman of the Conexus Management Board, continues: "Although this year has been spent in the shadow of the pandemic, we have managed to implement all ongoing investment projects according to schedule, while also continuing with our main core business tasks of ensuring safe and uninterrupted operation of storage and transmission. As for the European projects, each of them will significantly strengthen the security, performance and integrity of the natural gas infrastructure in the region in terms of technology and capabilities."

According to Mr Bariss, within the framework of the Latvia-Lithuania Gas Interconnection Improvement (ELLI) project, which Conexus is implementing together with the Lithuanian natural gas transmission system operator Amber Grid, works amounting to EUR 0.9 million of investments have been carried out and 8 out of 17 sub-projects have been completed in the first 9 months of 2021. In particular, the transmission pipeline system has been evaluated for operation at pressures up to 50 bar and a number of modifications have been carried out - at the Vireši-Tallina tap junctions T5 T6, the transmission pipeline branch to GRS Valmiera-1, the Vireši-Tallina connection junction, tap 1PI to GRS Palsmane, the interconnection tap No. Iz-427, at the Izborska-Inčukalna PGK section of the transmission pipeline at GRS Rīga-1 and at the connection junction of the transmission pipeline Rīga-Paneveža.

Also, design works and procurement of equipment supply are currently in progress in 4 sub-projects, repair works are in progress in 1 sub-project, procurement of equipment supply and construction works are in progress in 3 sub-projects, and diagnostic works on the transmission pipeline are being completed in 1 sub-project.

The European Union projects are implemented under contracts with the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency.