Poland and Baltic States Opening the New Gas Pipeline

Poland and Baltic states have opened a new gas pipeline connecting the Northeastern EU with the rest of the bloc, AFP reports. The publication writes that the opening of the gas pipeline is a crucial step to reduce dependence on Russian gas.

The Importance of Poland and Baltic:

The 508 km long pipeline, which connects the gas networks of Poland and Lithuania, will eventually be able to transport about two billion cubic meters of gas a year in both directions. Due to the connections in the region, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland will also have access to the wide network of European gas pipelines.

“Today we are opening up our energy independence,” Lithuanian President Gitana Nauseda said at a ceremony in the capital, Vilnius.

“This is a response to blackmail from Russia,” said Polish President Andrzej Duda.

As known, Poland’s already said it was ready to completely stop importing Russian gas, if necessary, Poland and Baltic states, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia also announced late last month that they would suspend imports of Russian gas and use their reserves.

The construction of the pipeline cost 500 million euros and a large part of this amount was funded by the European Union.