Government representatives from Poland, Denmark and Norway have opened the new Baltic Pipe to take natural gas from Norway via Denmark to Poland.

Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, said on Tuesday at the symbolic inauguration of the Baltic Pipe compressor station in Goleniów near the Polish port city of Szczecin, that the era of Russian domination of gas was coming to an end.

Mr Morawiecki referred to the Russian gas era as one marked by blackmail, threats and coercion.

“The most important supplier of natural gas to many European countries has until now been Russia.

“Deliveries through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany have, however, been cut to zero in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and multiple leaks have been discovered in Nord Stream 1 and its sister pipeline Nord Stream 2.

“A new era of energy sovereignty and freedom is beginning. Solidarity can make the continent more secure,” he added.

Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, said, “This day marks a crucial geopolitical step for all of us.”

Norway’s Oil and Energy Minister, Terje Aaslan, said Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, wanted to divide the West, but he was not succeeding.

The Baltic Pipe is a 900 kilometre long branch of the existing Europipe II pipeline, which runs from Norway through the North Sea to the German state of Lower Saxony.

In future, Norwegian natural gas can also be transported to the east through the Baltic Pipe, Mr Aaslan said.

The pipeline connects to the existing pipeline west of Denmark in the North Sea, and leads to the Danish mainland, on through the Baltic Sea to Poland.

The construction costs for the Baltic Pipe project amount to $1.54 billion.

(dpa/NAN)