A mole and a narrow walkway with a total length of 700 metres were built in the sea to facilitate the construction of a jetty for receiving liquefied natural gas (LNG). Both the current mole and walkway are temporary structures built for the duration of construction, and cannot be used for longer periods.
According to Ando Leppiman, Chairman of the Board of the Estonian Stockpiling Agency, all parts of the infrastructure ensuring Estonia’s security of gas supply must be completed. A permanent connection between the shore and the jetty is entirely justified, as it expands business opportunities, allows for better servicing of the jetty, and saves money in the long run.
‘In addition to our people, employees of the owner of the gas network Elering, port authority Tallinna Sadam, security company G4S, and other contract partners of the Estonian Stockpiling Agency must also have access to the jetty. With the arrival of the floating terminal for liquefied natural gas (FSRU), there will be even more movement between the jetty and the shore, and it is not reasonable to do all this via a service vessel. Establishing a permanent connection between the jetty and the port area is necessary not only to meet current needs, but also to expand the commercial opportunities of port operations in order to handle gaseous and future fuels such as hydrogen and its derivatives. The plan is to fortify the mole against storm waves and build a walkway with sufficient load-bearing capacity,’ said Leppiman.
At the beginning of July, the Estonian Stockpiling Agency signed a contract with Conx PM OÜ for the design of the mole and walkway. Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2026, with completion expected by the end of the same year.
This year, the Estonian Stockpiling Agency will begin construction of a warehouse on the territory of the Port of Pakrineeme, which can be used both as a storage centre for its own needs and to provide secure storage services to public authorities. A public procurement is ongoing for the construction of a 3,000 m2 warehouse to find a builder. Construction of the warehouse is scheduled to begin this autumn, and the facility is expected to be completed in spring 2026.
On 1 July this year, separate connection conditions established by grid operator AS Elering (Connection conditions and legislation | Elering) entered into force, on the basis of which it is possible in the Port of Pakrineeme to connect with an alternative long-term connection to a floating terminal also with a gas transport vessel with regasification capability which does not provide terminal services and only the maximum amount of gas agreed in the contract is injected into the transmission network during the time period provided for this. The upgrade will provide market participants with an additional option for importing LNG to the Baltic states and Finland.
