Norway pipeline to Poland temporarily taps gas from Germany

The new Baltic Pipe from Norway to Poland, which opened on Saturday, is not yet sending gas from Norway but from Germany instead, Norwegian system operator Gassco said on Tuesday.

The new Baltic Pipe from Norway to Poland, which opened on Saturday, is not yet sending gas from Norway but from Germany instead, Norwegian system operator Gassco said on Tuesday. Gas from Norway should start flowing "some days into October", but there is no exact date yet, a Gassco spokesperson said, adding that the delay is because a terminal at Nybro in western Denmark is not yet ready.

"Baltic Pipe from Denmark to Poland is being supplied with gas from Germany," the spokesperson said. Poland's Gaz-System confirmed the start of gas flows via Baltic Pipe on Saturday but did not specify the source of the gas.

"Starting from October 1 flows through the Baltic Pipe gas pipeline to Poland are in accordance with client nominations," a Gaz-System spokesperson said on Tuesday. Nominations rose from 61,084,535 kilowatt hours (kWh) per day for Saturday to 62,148,788 kWh/day on Monday, Gaz-System data showed.

Baltic Pipe is a joint project between Danish system operator Energinet and Poland's Gaz-System and is central to Polish efforts to diversify away from Russian gas. The gas currently flowing might have originated in Norway, having arrived via one of Gassco's two receiving terminals in Germany before being transported into Denmark.

Gassco said that once the gas exits its system, it does not know where it flows next.