On September 18, 2018, an official ceremony, held in town of Veľké Kapušany, kicked off construction works on the Slovak section of the cross-border gas pipeline, that is meant to connect gas transmission systems of Poland and Slovakia. The event was attended by Peter Pellegrini, Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic, Peter Žiga, Minister of Economy of the Slovak Republic, Piotr Naimski, Government Representative for Strategic Energy Infrastructure, Rastislav Ňukovič, General Director at Eustream, and Tomasz Stępień, CEO of Gaz-System. The said interconnector is going to link the gas compressor station, based in the Slovak town of Veľké Kapušany with the gas hub, located in the town of Strachocina, Poland. The project has been jointly implemented by Gaz-System and EUSTREAM, the Slovak company.
– Performance of the investment is considered a crucial element of the Gaz-System investment strategy. We have been implementing a complex diversification program, that is supposed to enable Poland to vary routes and directions of gas deliveries. In addition, our goal is to integrate markets, so that the suppliers and recipients operating within this particular region could have an access to various gas sources. – underlined Tomasz Stępień, CEO of Gaz-System.
Moreover, Mr. Tomasz Stępień emphasized that the construction of the interconnector tying Poland and Slovakia complements a top-priority EU infrastructural concept, i.e. execution of the North-South Corridor. – Owing to this implementation, the states of the region will be granted an access to new gas delivery sources from the northern direction, such as e.g. LNG Terminal in Świnoujście or Baltic Pipe – he said. – It will contribute to establishing secure and competitive gas market in the region of Central and Eastern Europe and across the entire European Union – he added.
Furthermore, Mr. Piotr Naimski, Government Representative for Strategic Energy Infrastructure, stressed high importance of the gas connection between Poland and Slovakia for building of an independent and competitive gas market within the region. – I am glad that our Slovak partners recognize how significant the diversification of gas sources of this material is to security and economic development of our region. I am convinced that this investment will translate into tangible benefits both for Poland and Slovakia – he pointed out.
Rastislav Ňukovič, Head of Eustream, emphasized that building of the Polish-Slovak gas interconnection is an example of an excellent cooperation between these two countries and the companies as well. – The interconnector that is under construction creates new gas trading opportunities, that are going to be advantageous to CEE countries. I would like to express my thanks to our business partners and all involved parties for their commitment in performance of this crucial European PCI investment– he declared.
Gaz-System