On Tuesday 27 September, Polish President Andrzej Duda participated in the inauguration ceremony of the Baltic Pipe pipeline together with the prime ministers of Poland and Denmark, Mateusz Morawiecki, and Mette Frederiksen. The ceremony took place in the gas compressor station of the northwestern Polish town of Brudno.
Heads of government from Poland and Denmark emphasised the importance of the new strategic investment, underlining its key role in strengthening energetic sovereignty in the region.
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The Polish head of state Andrzej Duda referred to the long-awaited launching of the Baltic Pipe as a “huge step towards strengthening the sovereignty of our country”.
“It’s a great day for Poland, for Denmark, for Norway, for the whole European Union, it’s a great day for our part of Europe for building security, peace, and strengthening sovereignty” – he added, as quoted by TVP World.
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Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki rejoiced about the “ending of the Russian domination in the area of gas”. He condemned Moscow’s “blackmail, threats, and extortion” and critically referred to the controversial Nord Stream pipelines connecting Russia and Germany.
“Today we also know that Nord Stream 1 is a gas pipeline through which Ukrainian blood also flowed […] These were instrumental attempts to dominate Central Europe, which at the same time gave rise to these great risks – risks that we warned against and risks that we face today in Ukraine,” Morawiecki explained.
Interestingly, the Nord Stream pipelines are simultaneously facing severe complications. Danish media report that a gas leak has been observed from both pipes.
As we can read on the official Twitter page of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland, the Baltic Pipe is “a joint Polish-Danish investment in the energy security of the region.”
It is being developed by the Danish gas and electricity transmission system operator Energinet and its Polish counterpart Gaz-System. The ambitious project received over EUR 250 million in funding from the EU for a total cost of EUR 1.6 billion.
Gas is expected to start flowing through the Baltic Pipe on 1 October.
Image: Twitter (@prezydentpl)
Author: Sébastien Meuwissen
