Conexus implements gas collection point improvement project with total investment reaching €32.3 million
The single natural gas transmission and storage system operator JSC “Conexus Baltic Grid” (Conexus) has received the construction permits required to carry out the construction and continues the ongoing design work to improve the gas collection point No 3. The project aims to rebuild the technologically outdated gas collection point in order to minimise its environmental impact and to ensure that technological processes are managed remotely from the Inčukalns underground gas storage area.
The planned project is one of the sub-projects in the ambitious European Union project of common interest, PCI 8.2.4 “Improving the operation of Inchalna's underground gas storage”, where investments of EUR 88 million will be exhausted by 2025 and the co-financing of the Connecting Europe Facility is set at 50%. The amount of investments for improving the gas collection point is planned to reach €32.3 million, making it one of the most investment-intensive sub-projects during storage upgrades.
Rinalds Dimins, head of Inčukalns underground gas storage: “The improvement of the gas collection point is necessary because the existing gas collection point is physically and morally outdated. Its operation was launched in the 1980 s, which means that the gas collection point at the end of the project will be more than 40 years old. It is planned to completely replace all technological installations and increase the number of existing technological lines from 30 to 34, thereby increasing the storage capacity, operational flexibility and overall performance of this facility and all natural gas. All these processes are an investment in improving storage security."
The dismantling of the existing gas collection point and the construction of a new gas collection point are planned to be carried out in two rounds so that the facility does not cease its operation. Its design work is scheduled to be completed in mid-2022, alongside which the necessary supply of technological equipment will be carried out. The procurement for the supply of technological equipment was won by Pietro Fiorentini, the international innovation company specialised in developing and providing technological solutions for the natural gas sector. The improvement of the first round of the gas collection point is planned for the period 2023-2024, while the second round of construction is planned to be carried out between 2024 and 2025. Construction of the site is planned to be completed in full by the end of 2025.
