VILNIUS, May 5 (Xinhua) -- A gas pipeline connecting the Baltic states and Finland to the EU's single gas network became operational on Thursday, the Lithuanian Ministry of Energy has announced.
The official opening of the Lithuanian-Polish gas interconnector took place at the Jauniunai Gas Compressor Station, one of the main hubs of the Lithuanian gas infrastructure.
The ceremony was attended by the Presidents of Lithuania, Poland and Latvia, the European Commissioner for Energy, and the Baltic and Polish energy ministers.
Implemented by Lithuanian and Polish gas system operators Amber Grid and Gaz-System, this 508-kilometer gas pipeline (GIPL) cost 500 million euros. The European Commission provided around 60 percent of the funding, while Latvia and Estonia also contributed.
The pipeline will open the Western European gas market to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland, said the Lithuanian energy ministry.
Over the next five months, GIPL's capacity to transport gas from Lithuania to Poland via the Klaipeda LNG terminal will reach 217,000 m3/h, or 2.4 GWh/h. Meanwhile, its capacity to transport gas from Poland to Lithuania will be 230,000 m3/h or 2.6 GWh/h. ■