Elering moves gas-metering stations to remote management to reduce operational costs

Elering is moving the Värska and Karksi gas-metering stations (GMSs) towards remote management within the framework of the plan to reduce the gas transmission network’s operational costs.

On January 17, Elering signed an agreement worth almost 2.7 million euros for the renovation of the Värska gas-metering station. The tender for work was awarded to a combined offer from UAB MT Group and PPS Pipeline Systems GmbH.

“Just as all Elering substations are remotely operated and unmanned, the plan is also to fully automate gas-metering stations in order to reduce the gas system’s operational costs,” explained Chairman of the Elering Board, Taavi Veskimägi. “Gas station management will be carried out by dispatchers directly from the Elering control centre in Tallinn.”

During renovation work, a new control building will be built for the Värska GMS, with rooms prepared for chromatography and communication and measuring equipment. The current regulation unit will be removed and replaced with a new gas expense and pressure regulation unit. The measuring station’s computer systems and hardware will also be replaced. Upgrades at the Värska GMS are scheduled to be completed at the end of this year. The measuring station is located in the village of Nedsaja in Värska parish, Põlva County.

Elering also launched a public tender for the upgrading of the Karksi GMS last week. The result of the works will similarly make the station remotely operable and also allow it to be used to transport gas from Latvia to Estonia as well as from Estonia to Latvia. Presently, the Karksi measuring station only permits gas transport in the Latvia-Estonia direction.

The Värska and Karksi gas-measuring stations are presently manned around the clock and ten people are involved in operating the two stations locally.