EUR 36.3 million already invested in improving Inčukalns underground gas storage

Conexus Baltic Grid ("Conexus"), the single operator of the natural gas transmission and storage system, informs that within the framework of the European investment project of common interest, EUR 36.3 million have been invested so far in improving the operation of the Inčukalns Underground Gas Storage (UGS), including EUR 9.7 million invested in the first nine months of this year, both in well rehabilitation works and in the purchase and installation of various equipment. 

This year, workovers have been completed on 8 wells, bringing the total number of workovers completed to 29 out of 36 wells.

As part of the work to upgrade the gas collection point, the construction project for the rehabilitation of gas collection point 3 has been approved - all the necessary pipes and fittings have now been delivered, as well as some of the basic process equipment.  In parallel, the second phase of the procurement of the works is underway, with technical and financial bids to be submitted by the tenderers. 

Upgrading work has also been completed on three of the five existing gas pumping units in Compressor station No 2, and three of the five fuel and pulse gas preparation units have been installed. The installation of the remaining two fuel and impulse gas preparation units is in progress, as well as the supply of equipment for the upgrading of the last two gas pumping units.

In early October, a contract was signed with Solar Turbines, an internationally renowned company, for the supply of a new gas injection unit package with a contract value of €21.65 million. Work is currently underway on the technical solutions for the new gas pumping unit to enable the company to start production in the near future, as well as on the design work provided by the Slovak company GasOil Technology a.s.

Rinalds Dimiņš, Conexus Inčukalns Underground Gas Storage Facility Manager: "The Inčukalns Underground Gas Storage is the largest project to date since the opening of the natural gas market and I am pleased with its systematic and coordinated implementation. In cooperation with our colleagues and partners, we have already been able to carry out substantial and technically complex work, thus improving the technical infrastructure and operational reliability of the storage facility."

The project runs until the end of 2025 and has a total investment of €88 million, half or 50% of which is covered by funding from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). The project will rehabilitate the above-ground infrastructure and wells, upgrade the existing five gas pumping units and install a new additional gas pumping unit, improving the security of natural gas supply, increasing the operational capacity of the storage facility and facilitating integration into the international energy market.