Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister of Estonia Taavi Roivas and Prime Minister of Finland Juha Sipila witnessed the signing of a 187 million euros investment in the Balticconnector – the first gas pipeline connecting Finland and Estonia on Oct. 21, said the European Commission on its website.
The Balticconnector pipeline will consist of three sections: 22 km Finnish onshore, 80 km offshore and 50 km Estonian onshore. It enables the transport of 7.2 million cubic meters of gas per day with flows running in both directions.
“This gas interconnector will end the energy isolation of Finland which is largely dependent on a single supplier,” said the EC. “When the gas starts flowing by 2020, this project will unite the Eastern Baltic Sea region with the rest of the EU energy market.”
Alongside the Gas Interconnector Poland–Lithuania (GIPL), the Balticconnector will contribute to increasing energy security and solidarity in the region.
“As part of the EU's Energy Union strategy, the EU is committed to building missing energy infrastructure links and ensuring that every member state has access to at least three different sources of gas,” said the message. “Integrating the Baltic Sea region with the rest of the EU is a priority for the European Commission.”