Eesti Gaas to bring extra LNG supplies to Inkoo terminal in Finland

October 23, 2023, by Aida Čučuk

Energy company Eesti Gaas, also known as Elenger, has announced it will bring an additional LNG cargo from the United States (U.S.) to the Inkoo terminal, Finland, in the second half of November 2023 to cover the country’s gas consumption.

Illustration; Archive; Courtesy of Vitol

Margus Kaasik, Chairman of the Management Board of Eesti Gaas, stated: “The market can handle the Balticconnector’s situation, and it is possible to cover Finland’s consumption volume based on the Inkoo terminal – there is enough gas and tankers available in America and Europe, additional cargoes can be ordered quite quickly and the Inkoo terminal already has previous experience operating in the ongoing gas demand mode.”

“This week, we have taken an important step forward – Gasgrid has announced the possible restart time of Balticconnector and Inkoo terminal is establishing the slot booking rules for the winter. Eesti Gaas, for its part, is ready to prove that we are capable of being up to the task in a challenging situation and guarantee deliveries to our customers.”

Balticconnector is the first gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia. The project, which entered into commercial use at the start of 2020, ends Finland’s isolation from the EU gas market and helps ensure the energy security of supply in the region.

The 152-kilometer-long gas pipeline is bi-directional and has a transmission capacity of 7.2 million cubic meters of gas per day.

Balticconnector was shut down at midnight on October 8 after Finnish and Estonian transmission system operators (TSOs) observed an abnormal pressure drop shortly before 2 a.m., suspecting that there was a leak in the pipe.

Finland’s Gasgrid later informed that the earliest possible commissioning date of the Balticconnector pipeline would be at the beginning of April 2024 since planning the repair work, mobilization of necessary underwater equipment and the actual repair measures, including the inspection of the repaired pipe section and commissioning, will last at least five months based on preliminary expert assessments.

Seismic signals indicating possible explosion recorded near Balticconnector gas pipeline

To note, Eesti Gas operates in five markets: Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. It offers its customers natural gas in the form of pipeline gas, compressed natural gas (CNG) and LNG and manages the largest gas network in Estonia and Latvia. The gas comes mostly from the U.S. and Norway.

The company said that this year it has tripled its LNG deliveries; instead of last year’s five cargoes, the company will now be bringing the 17th shipload of LNG to the region this year.