OREANDA-NEWS. October 16, 2015. President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker welcomed today the signing of the grant agreement on the GIPL (Gas Interconnector Poland – Lithuania), the first pipeline connecting Poland and Lithuania. The gas interconnector will end the long lasting isolation of the Baltic Sea region and bring the energy needed for a new economic dynamism to the region.  

Witnessed by President Juncker, together with the Prime Minister of Poland, Ewa Kopacz, the President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskait?, the Prime Minister of Latvia, Laimdota Straujuma and the Prime Minister of Estonia, Taavi R?ivas, today's signature is also a breakthrough increasing the security of supply and bringing more resilience to the European energy market.

At the occasion of the signature of the joint declaration, President Juncker said: "Today's signature is about European solidarity. It is about leaders taking responsible decisions to increase our security and strengthen our resilience. Today we have done much more than bringing the energy isolation of the Baltic States to an end. We have brought the region further together. Today we have agreed on European infrastructure that will unite us, instead of dividing us."

Construction of the project is set to start by December 2019. Its total cost is €558 million which will be funded by the Baltic States and private investment alongside the Commission’s contribution, made under the Connecting Europe Facility.

The gas pipeline will stretch some 357 km in Poland and 177 km in Lithuania. It will be capable of delivering 2.4 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Poland to Lithuania, and 1 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Lithuania to Poland.

GIPL is the first gas interconnector between the Eastern Baltic Sea region and the Continental Europe. It is one of the energy infrastructure projects that benefits of the status of Project of Common European Interest. Projects of Common Interest are critical for completing the European internal energy market and for the attainment of the Juncker Commission priority to establish an Energy Union to secure, affordable and sustainable energy.