Estonia is launching a procedure to decommission the reserve gas main that connects Russia with the Kaliningrad region through the Baltic states. This is reported by the newspaper Eesti Ekspress.
According to the publication, for many years local officials responsible for energy did not have information about the condition and purpose of this pipeline. At the same time, Estonia continued to maintain the facility in working condition.
The situation changed after Prime Minister Kristen Michal received the relevant data. He stated his intention to launch the process of decommissioning the gas pipeline. The head of government will instruct the Minister of Energy and Environment Erkki Keldo to hold talks with Latvia. It is on Latvian territory that the shut-off valve is located, and the Estonian side wants to achieve a complete cessation of transit. If an agreement cannot be reached, Michal allows for the introduction of a ban on transit through Estonian sanctions mechanisms.
Eesti Ekspress emphasizes: gas is not currently flowing to the Kaliningrad region along this branch. However, Russia retains the right to reserve its throughput capacity. Estonia stopped purchases of Russian gas in the autumn of 2022 after the start of hostilities in Ukraine.
It concerns two strings with a diameter of 70 centimeters and a length of 22 kilometers. They run from Russia through the southeast of Estonia to Latvia, and then through Lithuania to the Kaliningrad region. The owner of the facility is the Estonian system operator Elering. For Russia this route remains a backup. It is used in the event of an accident on the direct pipeline through Lithuania or the failure of the floating terminal in Kaliningrad.
The publication provides data on previous supplies. In July 2023, about half a terawatt-hour of Russian natural gas passed through this main. This volume is comparable to 15% of Estonia’s annual consumption. A similar indicator was recorded in the autumn of 2024 as well.
