Eustream on Wednesday, November 30, officially completed a project worth more than €1 million to allow reverse flow of natural gas from the Czech Republic and Austria to Slovakia, the TASR newswire reported, citing Eustream spokesperson Danica Behárková. Under normal circumstances, natural gas arrives in Slovakia from Russia via Ukraine, some of which is then exported to Austria and the Czech Republic.
The project, co-funded by the EU, was approved by the European Commission as part of the European Energy Programme for Recovery (EEPR) and involved the installation of high-pressure equipment at the intra-state pressure reduction station in Plavecký Peter (Trnava Region) and the compressor station in Ivánka pri Dunaji (Bratislava Region). "Slovakia's transmission network is able to move natural gas from the west to the east in standard mode now, thereby diversifying transmission routes of gas supplies as needed," said Behárková.
The project was drafted in January 2009 in reaction to a gas crisis in which Slovakia found itself cut off from natural gas supplies because of a dispute between Ukraine and Russia. Eustream was able to provide reverse flow in 2009, but only in manual mode and for limited volumes. As of winter 2011, reverse flow can be initiated automatically by the transmission dispatching centre.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
