Dovre Group to work on Balticconnector gas pipeline project

Finland-based provider of consulting services Dovre Group has signed a framework agreement with the Balticconnector project, co-owned by the Estonian company Elering AS and the Finnish company Baltic Connector Oy.

The 250 million EUR ($308 million) worth project is implementing a natural gas pipeline across the Gulf of Finland, connecting the gas networks of Finland and Estonia.

Dovre Group said last week it would provide project management resources for the project.

Patrick von Essen, CEO of Dovre Group, said: “We are proud to partner for this historical project. This award further improves our position as a leading provider of project management competence and strengthens our footprint in Finland.”

The project will comprise the construction of pipeline systems, stations and facilities to connect the existing gas networks in Finland and Estonia. The transmission capacity of the pipeline will be 7.2 million cubic meters of gas per day, which can be transported bi-directionally between Finland and Estonia according to market demand.

The project has been divided into several subprojects. Namely, Balticconnector consists of a 21-kilometer onshore Siuntio – Inkoo pipeline in Finland, a compression and metering station in Inkoo, a 77-kilometer Inkoo – Paldiski offshore pipeline between Finland and Estonia, compression and metering station in Kersalu, Estonia, as well as a 55-kilometer onshore pipeline Paldiski-Kiili in Estonia.

Baltic Connector Oy claims that the pipeline project will play a major role in the energy strategies of both Finland and the EU. It is meant improve the regional security of supply by diversifying gas sources and create a framework for market opening and growth and enable the use of alternative sources, such as liquid natural gas (LNG) and biogas.

The pipeline will also enable the interconnection of the Finnish and Baltic gas markets and their integration with the EU’s common energy market.