The Czeszów-Wierzchowice gas pipeline runs through the districts of Zawonia and Krośnice in Poland’s Dolnośląskie Voivodeship and was completed in September 2017. Together with other pipelines under construction in the region, it will form part of the North-South Gas Corridor, the aim of which is to integrate gas transmission infrastructure in central Europe, thereby increasing supply.
- 22 March 2019
We have new sources of gas, such as the Lech Kaczyński LNG Terminal. We also intend to implement the Baltic pipe project. It is essential to develop the transmission network so that gas can be made available to the Polish economy and transported further south and east. The Czeszów-Wierzchowice pipeline is a new element of this infrastructure.
Around 14 km long and 1 m in diameter, the pipeline allows gas to travel in both directions. It runs almost entirely parallel to an existing pipe and is situated in the same area, thus creating no additional inconvenience for landowners.
To guard against the release of gas into the environment, surface water or groundwater, and to ensure safe and reliable transmission, proven modern technologies, high-quality materials with the requisite certification and state-of-the art safety systems, were used.
The project was implemented in accordance with relevant Polish and EU legislation and was subject to continuous professional environmental and archaeological supervision, including monitoring of pollutant emissions into the air, water and soil. Care was taken to rebuild local drainage systems after the completion of the pipeline.
Key energy infrastructure
In 2013, the European Commission put the North-South Gas Corridor on its list of projects of common interest – key cross-border infrastructure projects that link EU countries’ energy systems. It was included in the 2015 Ten-Year Network Development Plan of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas as a vital part of north-south gas interconnections in central, eastern and south-eastern Europe.
The corridor consists of an eastern and western branch, with the Czeszów-Wierzchowice pipeline forming part of the latter. It will run from the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at Świnoujście on Poland’s Baltic coast, through the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, to the planned LNG terminal on the Croatian island of Krk. In Świnoujście, it will connect with the Baltic pipe, which will provide a transmission link to Scandinavia.
By modernising transmission systems on both sides of the Polish-Czech border, construction of the western part of the corridor will increase transmission capacity between the two countries and allow gas to flow in both directions. The corridor will enable Poland to achieve full autonomy in gas supply and increase its integration with the wider European transmission system.
Security of supply and export capabilities
The pipeline will enhance security of supply in Poland by connecting the Świnoujście terminal to existing transmission, storage and distribution infrastructure. It will link the Wierzchowice underground gas storage facility with urban areas in the Śląskie and Dolnośląskie regions and make transmission operations more flexible in Dolnośląskie and the Opolskie region.
Capacity for potential gas exports to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Ukraine will be increased, and supply will be diversified by allowing surplus gas from Germany to be diverted to Silesia. Furthermore, the pipeline could support connections with new supply sources in north-western Poland and the displacement of solid fuels by gas – particularly in systems co-generating heat and energy – thus reducing harmful emissions.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Czeszów-Wierzchowice gas pipeline” is EUR 91 000 000, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 47 700 000 through the “Infrastructure and Environment” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Transport and energy networks”.