Balticconnector gas pipeline should return to service April 22
The repair works on the broken section of the Balticconnector gas pipeline between Estonia and Finland, which were interrupted last autumn, have been completed in the Gulf of Finland, and the pipeline is expected to be back in use on April 22.
TSO Elering announced that the pressure test conducted this week was successful. Work continues on preparing the connection for use.
The sea section of the connection between Estonia and Finland has now been reconnected into a single unit. Work continues, during which the sea pipe will be flushed with water, then emptied and an internal geometric analysis will be performed.
After the inspection, the pipe will be dried and filled with gas. Balticconnector is expected to be put back into use on April 22, Elering reported.
Elering and the Finnish gas system operator Gasgrid shut down the Balticconnector on the night of October 8, as the pressure in the gas pipeline began to fall, indicating a possible leak in the pipeline.
The gas pipeline was suspected to be damaged by the anchor of the Hong Kong-registered vessel Newnew Polar Bear, which was en route from Kaliningrad to St. Petersburg. The incident occurred in Finland's economic zone. At the same time as the gas pipeline, a communication cable connecting Estonia with Finland was damaged, and the day before, a communication cable between Estonia and Sweden located about 50 kilometers west of Hiiumaa was also damaged. In both cases, the same vessel is considered to be at fault.
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Editor: Mirjam Mäekivi, Marcus Turovski
