Estonia seeks closure of backup gas route to Kaliningrad

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal intends to initiate the decommissioning of a pipeline section used as a backup gas route to Russia's Kaliningrad Region, Eesti Ekspress reported on October 14.

According to the newspaper, Michal will ask Energy and Environment Minister Erki Keldo to discuss the issue with Latvia, where the shutoff valve is located. If no agreement is reached, the prime minister considers an Estonian sanctions-based transit ban possible.

Gas is not currently flowing to Kaliningrad along this route, but Russia retains the ability to reserve its capacity, the newspaper reported. Michal's statement describes an intention rather than a completed shutdown.

The section in southeastern Estonia belongs to system operator Elering. It consists of two pipelines, each seventy centimetres in diameter, over a twenty-two-kilometre route. The connection continues through Latvia and Lithuania.

Russia uses it under a contract as a backup if the direct route through Lithuania or Kaliningrad's floating terminal becomes unavailable. Approximately half a terawatt-hour of gas passed through the Estonian section in July 2023, and a similar amount in autumn 2024, according to Eesti Ekspress.

Estonia banned Russian gas imports in autumn 2022. Transit along the backup route is a separate issue that the prime minister now intends to discuss with its neighbour.