For the first time in history, natural gas injections continue at the Inčukalns Underground Gas Storage (UGS) in Latvia – a month after the start of the withdrawal season, with another 1.424 terawatt-hours (TWh) recently stored in the storage facility. As a result, the total volume of natural gas stored in the storage facility reached 14.34 TWh by 13 November, as confirmed by the Latvian-based natural gas transmission and storage system operator, Conexus Baltic Grid (Conexus).
Additional injections throughout the natural gas withdrawal season are possible after a recent storage upgrade project, significantly increasing the flexibility and readiness of the storage facility to ensure uninterrupted flows of natural gas in both directions. The storage facility can inject a minimum of 50 gigawatt-hours (GWh) per day until the end of the withdrawal season.
“The modernisation works at the Inčukalns Underground Gas Storage, which are being carried out as part of the European investment project of common European interest, have allowed us to increase the performance of the storage facility, making a significant contribution to the continuity and security of natural gas supply,” said Rinalds Dimiņš, Manager of the Inčukalns Underground Gas Storage Facility. “These changes are historic, as the storage facility is now adapting to the conditions, not the other way around, which is a very important aspect in the current geopolitical situation. With the availability of natural gas injection capacity for system users, it is positive that users continue to actively place natural gas in storage.”
The upgrade works at the Inčukalns UGS will be implemented by the end of 2025 as part of a European Project of Common Interest. The investment is currently forecast at 99.5 million euros, of which 44 million euros is covered by the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). The project involves the rehabilitation of surface infrastructure and wells, the modernisation of the existing five gas pumping units and the installation of a new additional gas pumping unit, improving the security of natural gas supply, increasing the operational capacity of the storage facility and facilitating integration into the international energy market.
