Construction of a Baltic Sea underwater pipeline between Norway and Poland aimed at reducing Warsaw's dependence on Russian gas has resumed after being suspended for environmental reasons in 2021, the Danish state-owned company Energinet that runs the country's energy infrastructure has announced.
"The Danish Environmental Protection Agency has granted a new environmental permit for the Baltic Pipe pipeline", Energinet said in a statement.
According to the grid operator, thanks to the new permit, construction work can resume on the parts of the project in East Jutland and on the island of Funen, which were put on hold in May 2021, when the Danish Environmental and Food Appeals Board withdrew the permit for the 210-kilometre Danish section, citing concerns about animal species.
The pipeline would supply Norwegian gas to Poland, which in 2019 announced that it would not extend its contract with Russian energy giant Gazprom beyond 2022. Gazprom currently accounts for two-thirds of Poland's gas needs.
Energinet expects the Baltic Pipe pipeline to be partially operational from 1 October and to be running at full capacity by the turn of the new year.
This week, European and British gas prices soared, with benchmark Dutch gas contracts hitting a record high. The European Parliament on Tuesday called on the EU to close its ports to Russian ships or ships going to or from Russia, forcing some cargoes of Russian liquefied gas to change course.
Last week, following the start of a Russian special operation in Ukraine, Germany halted the German-Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which was completed but lacked the permit to operate.
These measures come in response to Russia's special operation aimed at demilitarising and "de-Nazifying" Ukraine launched on 24 February. The operation was started to protect the republics of Donbass Moscow had formally recognised earlier that week. Russia has made it clear that it harbours no occupation plans and that the operation's goal is to protect the civilians of Donbass from genocide.
Since then, the West has imposed a slew of political and financial sanctions targeting a number of Russian banks and officials. Russia later announced tit-for-tat counter sanctions.