Czech-Polish interconnector (“STORK”)
The Czech-Polish interconnector (“STORK”) project consisted of the creation of a direct connection between the transmission systems of the Czech Republic and Poland and the launch of gas transmission between the systems at the level of 0.5 billion m3/year (0 °C).
The construction of this new interconnector (10 km of pipeline in the Czech Republic, 22 km and a border transfer station in Poland) allowed the transmission of gas between the Czech Republic and Poland for the very first time, thus strengthening the security of supplies and the integration of the energy markets in this region. The project also increased the capacity of bi-directional gas transmission in the border region and improved the security of gas supplies, particularly in emergency situations.
The Czech-Polish interconnector project consisted of three sub-actions, of which only one was implemented on the territory of the Czech Republic (point 1):
- the construction of a new 10 km DN 500, 6.3 MPa pipeline in the Czech Republic, which connected the existing part of the transmission system at Třanovice with an agreed border point at Cieszyn/Český Těšín,
- the construction of the Polish section of the pipeline (22 km) connecting the Czech Republic and Poland, which runs from the Border Transfer Station Cieszyn as far as the town of Skoczów, and
- the construction of a border transfer station on the Czech-Polish border measuring the quantity and quality of natural gas transported between the Czech and Polish transmission systems by the new Třanovice – Cieszyn – Skoczów pipeline.
The official launch of the Czech-Polish interconnector took place on 14 September 2011 in the presence of the prime ministers of both countries. The entire project was co-financed on both the Czech and the Polish sides by the European Union - the European Energy Programme for Recovery. Final building approval was given, following the completion of trial operation, in March 2012.
