Budimex is finalising work on the Goleniów-Ciecierzyce gas pipeline as one of the sections of the Baltic Pipe

Work on the construction of the Goleniów-Ciecierzyce  gas pipeline, which is part of the Baltic Pipe project implemented by GAZ-SYSTEM, is the longest, nearly 122 kilometres long, onshore section of the gas pipeline, which will enable the supply of gas from Norwegian fields to Polish. 

This is a very important contract for us, both because of the scale, as we are responsible for the construction of the longest onshore section of the Baltic Pipe, and the need to ensure the highest quality of the gas pipeline. At the same time, despite the difficult situation on the construction materials market and the outflow of Ukrainian workers, we managed to maintain a high pace of work. Therefore, everything indicates that the section we are building, along with the accompanying facilities, will receive an occupancy permit as early as July. The Baltic Pipe project implemented by GAZ-SYSTEM is a strategic element of our country’s infrastructure, which will strengthen the country’s energy security. We are all the more pleased that as the largest Polish construction company we can take part in it. – says Artur Popko, President of the Management Board of Budimex S.A., the general contractor of the section.

In June, Budimex plans to carry out the technical acceptance with the Investor –  one month before the contractual deadline. In June and July, the section will be gassed and commissioned, and the occupancy permit should be obtained in July.

This is the third contract that we are performing for GAZ-SYSTEM. This experience allows us to maintain a high pace of work while ensuring the appropriate quality of workmanship. As in the case of the section of the gas pipeline to Slovakia that we are implementing, we also plan to complete the Baltic Pipe section ahead of schedule, although there were many engineering challenges. To avoid ground obstacles, such as rivers or roads, we required us to make 55 trenchless crossings, using microtunneling, drilling and jacking methods, and  4 crossings using the latest Direct Pipe technology. This is how the drillings under the Ina, Pełcz and Krąpiel rivers were created, and the last one, the longest in Poland, under the Warta River, 1400 m long. – says Piotr Świecki, Director of Energy Construction at Budimex.

The technologies used by Budimex allow for minimally invasive crossing of difficult geological or urbanisation areas, so they are the most environmentally friendly and speed up the implementation of works. The drilling under the Warta River at its lowest point is located at a depth of up to 40 m. In the remaining sections, the gas pipeline was laid at a depth of at least 1.2 metres in a properly prepared trench, in some sections secured with sheet piling due to the prevailing geological conditions. The pipeline is also accompanied by appropriate infrastructure and technological facilities.

In addition to the pipeline itself, nearly 122 km long, connected by approx. 8 thousand welds, we also completed four technological facilities: the expansion of the Goleniów Gas Compressor Station by a piston transmitting lock unit and the construction of shut-off and relief systems in Kolonia Kiczarowo, Przywodzie and Buszów. We are currently preparing the gas pipeline to be connected to the facility parts at both ends of the section. The entire pipeline is already laid in the ground, it has also passed all pressure tests, we have completed seam and assembly welding. We have made guaranteed welds at the boundaries of the test sections and we are now at the stage of work consisting in testing the gas pipeline with a geometric piston, so that in June we can carry out the Technical Acceptance, start gassing and commissioning with the Investor – says Szczepan Konopczak, Contract Manager from Budimex.

According to the Investor’s announcements, the Baltic Pipe gas  transmission is to be launched  in October 2022. The scope of the 122-kilometre investment carried out by Budimex includes, among others:

• construction of the line part of the gas pipeline with a diameter of DN1000 MOP 8.4 MPa on the section from the Goleniów compressor station to the Ciecierzyce lock station,
• reconstruction of the Goleniów Gas Compressor Station with a piston transmitting lock
• construction of a linear shut-off and relief unit ZZU Kolonia Kiczarowo with bypass systems
• construction of linear shut-off and relief systems, ZZU Przywodzie and ZZU Buszów, together with bypass systems equipped with collectors enabling the connection of new stations/consumers, power connections, I&C and telemetry installations and other infrastructure;
• construction of an active gas pipeline corrosion protection system
• gasification and commissioning of the gas pipeline.