Elering signs agreements worth 60 million euros for building Balticconnector compressor stations

On Tuesday, Elering entered into contracts worth approximately 60 million euros for the construction of the Paldiski compressor station serving the Estonia-Finland Balticconnector gas link and the Puiatu compressor station serving the Estonia-Latvia connection.

“With the contracts signed today, we take the last big step toward the full launch of the Estonia-Finland gas connection in 2020.These are extraordinary projects also in the sense that to this point the Estonian gas system does not have a single compressor station,” said chairman of the Elering management board, Taavi Veskimägi.

The cost of the compressor station to be built in Pakrineeme on the Pakri peninsula is 31.4 million euros. The engineering design and construction partners for the station are Control Process S.A. and Grupa Azoty Polskie Konsorcjum Chemiczne sp. z o.o.

The cost of the Puiatu compressor station to be established in Väike-Kõpu Village in Viljandi Rural Municipality is 28.3 million euros and the design and construction work will be performed by Control Process S.A.

Both compressor stations will be remotely controlled from Elering’s control centre in Tallinn and each will have one electrically-driven, environmentally friendly compressor device.

The maximum output pressure of the Paldiski compressor station is 80 bar in the Finland direction and 54 bar in the direction of the Estonian gas transmission network and the station has the capacity to transport 7 million cubic metres of gas per day. The maximum operating pressure of the Puiatu compressor station is 54 bar in both directions and the capacity is 10 million cubic metres of gas per day.

A facility will be established at Paldiski compressor station for measuring the quantities of gas entering and exiting Estonia at this point, gas pressure regulation and protection systems and a half-kilometre-long gas pipeline connecting the compressor station with the Balticconnector undersea pipeline. Pipeline intelligent gauge launching and receiving line will also be built at both compressor stations.

The gas transport capacity through the compressor stations must be achieved within 16 months of the conclusion of the contracts, and within 21 months, the compressor equipment must be ready for a dry run. At the 26-month mark, both compressor stations have to be completely ready.