Finland-Estonia gas pipeline resumes operation

Balticconnector, the natural gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia, which remained closed from early October last year following a leak, resumed operation on Monday, said the state-owned company and transmission system operator, Gasgrid Finland in a press release.

According to the current forecast, market participants will transmit approximately 10 GWh of commercial gas from Estonia to Finland during this gas day, and approximately 70 GWh from Finland to Estonia.

Gasgrid Finland and Elering plan to transmit about 60 GWh of physical gas from Finland to Estonia during this day, which is the difference between the commercial transmission volumes of 10 GWh.

Balticconnector’s technical maximum capacity from Finland to Estonia is about 78 GWh/day, and so far gas transmission in the offshore pipeline has been operating normally.

Gasgrid Finland and the Estonian gas transmission system operator Elering noticed an unusual drop in pressure in the Balticconnector offshore gas pipeline between the two countries in the early hours of October 8, 2023.

The pipeline was isolated shortly after the discovery by closing Balticconnector’s valves. The gas leak caused by the verified damage in the pipeline stopped with the isolation of the pipe and the closing of the valves.

The natural gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia remained closed following a suspected leak on October 8.

On October 10, the authority said that the damage to the Baltic Connector gas pipeline and a data cable between Finland and Estonia was likely caused by an external actor, not caused by the normal gas transmission process.

Finland and Estonia are jointly investigating into the damage to the Baltic Connector gas pipeline and a data cable between the two countries.

The repairing works of the Baltic Connector gas pipeline will take at least five months.

Earlier on October 20, the National Bureau of Investigation announced that it will examine if the object found in the seabed has any connection to the damage of the undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia.

The then President, Sauli Niinistö on January 10, 2024 held a video call with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and discussed the incident of Balticconnector pipeline damage.