Prime Minister of Poland, Ewa Kopacz and President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaité signed the grant agreement on the GIPL (Gas Interconnector Poland – Lithuania), the first pipeline connecting the two countries.
The gas interconnector will end the long-lasting isolation of the Baltic Sea region and bring the energy needed for a new economic dynamism to the region, according to joint statement by the signing parties.
The signature is lauded as a breakthrough increasing the security of supply and bringing more resilience to the European energy market.
Construction of the project is set to start by December 2019. Its total cost is €558 million which will be funded by the Baltic States and private investment alongside the European Commission’s contribution, made under the Connecting Europe Facility.
The gas pipeline will stretch some 357 km in Poland and 177 km in Lithuania. It will be capable of delivering 2.4 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Poland to Lithuania, and 1 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Lithuania to Poland.
Image: premier.gov.pl