COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Development of the Danish a part of Baltic Pipe, which can join Poland to Norwegian gasoline fields, is resuming following a 33-month hiatus, Danish grid operator Energinet stated on Tuesday.

The pipeline is designed to cut back Poland’s reliance on Russian gasoline however development was halted in Might 2019 on account of environmental points.

Energinet stated it had now acquired a brand new environmental allow and it nonetheless expects the pipeline to be partially operational from Oct. 1 this 12 months and working at full capability of as much as 10 billion cubic metres from Jan. 1, 2023. The suspension has already delayed the beginning date by three months.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has triggered worries that Russian gasoline provides to Europe might be minimize, highlighting the necessity for diversification of provides.

Development on two components of the pipeline has been suspended since 2019 following the rescinding of an environmental allow by a Danish public appeals committee on account of issues over the pipeline’s affect on protected mice and bat species.

Russia’s Gazprom (MCX:) provides half of Poland’s 20 billion cubic meters of gasoline consumption, however the long-term contract expires on the finish of this 12 months and Warsaw would not plan to resume it.

Poland goals to exchange these provides with shipments through Baltic Pipe.

A pipeline linking Poland to a liquefied pure gasoline terminal in Lithuania, known as GIPL, will open on Might 1, Lithuania stated on Monday, sooner than the scheduled mid-2022 begin.