Minsk–Kaliningrad Interconnection

Minsk–Kaliningrad Interconnection
Map of Minsk–Kaliningrad Interconnection
Location
Country	Belarus Lithuania Russia
General direction	east-west
From	Minsk, Belarus
Passes through	Belarus-Lithuania border, Vilnius, Jonava, Kaunas, Šakiai, Lithuania-Russia border
To	Kaliningrad, Russia
General information
Type	natural gas
Partners	Amber Grid Gazprom
Commissioned	1985
Technical information
Maximum discharge	2.5 billion cubic metres per annum (88×10^⁹ cu ft/a)
Diameter	700 mm (28 in)

Minsk–Kaliningrad Interconnection is a natural gas pipeline interconnection between Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia, Lithuania and Belarus. Currently, it is the only pipeline supplying natural gas to Kaliningrad Oblast.^[1]

Lithuania has a contract with Gazprom on gas transit to Kaliningrad via pipeline until 2025.^[2]

History

In 2005, Gazprom built the Krasnoznamenskaya compressor station.

In 2009, the second line of the pipeline was finished, which allowed the expanded maximum discharge of up to 2.5 billion cubic metres annually.^[3]

In 2016, a 25 km gas pipeline branch to Chernyakhovsk and an automated gas distribution station were put into service.

In October 2017, Gazprom completed the construction of two gas pipeline branches stretching to the towns of Gusev and Sovetsk.

In April 2022, President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda announced that Lithuanian national gas transmission operator Amber Grid and Lithuania have completely stopped purchasing Russian gas, and the transmission system has been operating without Russian gas imports since the beginning of April with no intention to receive the Russian gas in the future via Minsk–Kaliningrad Interconnection.^[4]

Connection to Jonava

In 2019, Amber Grid renovated a gas distribution station in Jonava, Lithuania.^[5] The new station's capacity expanded to 2.3 billion cubic metres per annum (81×10^⁹ cu ft/a) and supplied the Achema plant in Jonava, the largest consumer of natural gas in Lithuania.^[6] In October 2021 the proposed reconstruction project for the Jonava link was released.

Jonava connection within Minsk–Kaliningrad Interconnection
Pipeline near Gaižiūnai

References

^ EU-Russia power struggle flashes in Kaliningrad
^ Kaliningrad gets Moscow energy boost as Baltic states pull plug
^ „Lietuvos dujos“ ir „Gazprom“ baigė magistralinio dujotiekio Minskas-Vilnius-Kaunas-Kaliningradas antrosios linijos statybą
^ "Lithuania completely abandons Russian gas imports". Amber Grid (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 3 April 2022.
^ Investicijų projektas „Jonavos ir Alytaus dujų skirstymo stočių modernizavimas“ (Projekto kodas: 06.3.1-LVPA-V-104-01-0007)
^ „Amber Grid“ modernizavo dvi dujų skirstymo stotis, planuose – naujų objektų rekonstrukcija