What goes on in Poland on the 1st of July.
Lithuania begins preparations for the construction of Harmony Link
The operator of Lithuanian power grid Litgrid begins preparations for the implementation of the Harmony Link project, i.e. an underwater power connection between Poland and Lithuania.
After approval by the Lithuanian government, Litgrid intends to announce a tender before autumn for selecting the contractor for an environmental impact assessment. Talks with market participants on the terms of the tender are currently underway.
The high-voltage DC sub-line (HDVC) is to have a 700 MW capacity. Construction is to start in 2021 and finish in 2025. The construction cost is estimated at EUR 850 million. Harmony Link is an indispensable element for synchronizing the power grids of the Baltic States with the continental Europe system. The process is to be completed in 2025 and together will cost about 1.5 billion euros.
Belarus threatens Russia with a court because of polluted oil
Belarus will take legal action if Russia refuses to pay compensation for lost profits caused by supplies of polluted oil – said Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Liaszenko. However, he did not specify the amount of compensation claimed by Minsk.
Earlier, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenka spoke about the amount of „hundreds of millions of dollars”.
The emergence of contaminated oil (elevated levels of organic chlorides – ed. note) for nearly a month caused suspension in deliveries by the Druzhba pipeline. As a result, Belarus significantly reduced the processing and export of petroleum products.
Also, PKN Orlen among others demands compensation from Russians. In mid-June, the President of the company Daniel Obajtek announced that the Russians recognized the company’s right to compensation for the transmission of polluted oil. Orlen intends to demand compensation also for limited supplies of raw material. Płock based company also does not disclose the amount of claims. They are to be known within a few weeks. Information on the transmission of contaminated oil through the Druzhba pipeline appeared on April 19. Belarusian refineries reduced production by nearly 50 percent. In order to protect the transmission system and refinery installations, Belarus, Ukraine and Poland have stopped collecting oil sent via Druzhba. Deliveries to Poland were reopened on June 9.