Budimex made a 'golden joint' on the gas interconnector between Poland and Slovakia, constructed at the request of GAZ-SYSTEM
On 3 August 2021, Budimex – the general contractor of the 61 km long Strachocina – Polish Border gas pipeline has connected the Polish section of the new gas pipeline with its extension on the Slovak side by means of the so-called 'golden joint'.
'The construction of the new gas pipeline has been underway since July 2019. At the moment, preparations for the gas pipeline acceptance procedure are already underway. So far, nearly 100 subcontractors and about 1,000 employees have worked at the construction site' – says Artur Popko – President of the Management Board of Budimex SA
The purpose of the currently undergoing investment is the construction of a new cross-border gas pipeline which will connect the natural gas transmission systems of Poland and Slovakia. The project parties are GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. and Eustream a.s. – Polish and Slovak transmission system operators.
'For this task, we used 27,000 tons of steel – which is equivalent to the weight of eight Eiffel towers. We covered 20 trenchless sections, for example under rivers and roads. We also made 390 km of micropiles to reinforce the land through which the pipeline passes' – adds Artur Popko. 'We also moved 6,300 m3 of land that would fit onto a freight train with a total length of 213 km' – summarises the President of Budimex.
The investment includes the construction of a 61 km high-pressure gas pipeline with a diameter of DN 1000 and operating pressure of 8.4 MPa. During the implementation, trenchless technologies were used, such as: HDD (horizontal directional drilling) or microtunnelling.
The gas pipeline route runs through the following gminas (i.e. Polish equivalents of boroughs): Sanok, Bukowsko and Komańcza in the Podkarpackie voivodeship. The investment is an important element of Gaz-System's investment strategy due to its strategic importance – connecting the natural gas transmission systems of Poland and Slovakia. Since 2020, Budimex has also been constructing another key section of the new gas pipeline: the 122-kilometre gas pipeline from Goleniów to Ciecierzyce.