Historical offshore-natural gas pipeline across the the gulf of Finland from Paldiski Estonia to Inkoo Finland will be ready for use by the year 2020. FSP was in charge of the surface treatment of Inkoo valve station pipeline.
What makes the pipeline historical, is the fact that it connects Finland and the Baltic countries to European natural gas network and markets.
The goal is to improve Finnish national emergency supply and energy safety, when it comes an alternative to Russian pipeline gas. At the moment in both of the countries gas delivery is largely depending on Russia, even though tanker ships are freighting liquified natural gas on the Baltic Sea.
Between Inkoo and Paldiski, an 80 kilometres long undersea pipeline is lowered, on which the gas can flow to both ways, depending on the market situation. When ready the Balticconnec- tor will be 150 kilometres long in total.
In the major project FSP was in charge of the Inkoo valve station pipeline surface treatment. The contract set high quality demands for the surface treatment, because the pipeline is under the ground and it has to endure harsh mechanical stress during the years. The planned lifetime of the pipeline is also long. Before starting the project, FSP consulted in choosing the suitable paint specifications.
WORK QUALITY MET THE EXPECTATIONS
The surface treatment project of the valve station proceeded in two phases. First FSP surface treated the pipelines in the paint shop in Kulloo. After that, the project continued with the surface treatment of the welding seams on-site in Inkoo, where the valve station is built as a part of a compressor station.
FSP was also in charge of shrink wrapping the outer weld seams of the pipeline buried under ground. Part of the pipeline remains on the ground and part will be underground covered with gravel.
The main contractor Louhintahiekka has been satisfied with FSP work quality during the project.
“FSP has implemented the project flexibly and on the agreed schedule. Communication has been fluent with FSP’s project manager Pasi Kovalainen,” says Arto Lahti the project manager of Louhintahiekka.
The Finnish part of the project is implemented by government owned company Baltic Connector Oy and in Estonia a government owned Elering AS. The main contractor in the project was Louhintahiekka Oy and the surface treatment order was done by MT Group.

BALTICCONNECTOR PROJECT
- Connects the gas markets between Finland and the Baltic countries.
- Leads from Inkoo to Paldiski, 80 kilometres on the bottom of The Gulf of Finland.
- The pipeline is built 21 kilometres in Finland and 55 kilometres in Estonia.
- Compressor and measuring stations are located in both sides of The Gulf of Finland: In Inkoo and in Paldiski.
- The two-way pipeline can transfer 7,2 million cubic meters of gas per day.
- The pipeline costs about 250 million euros, of which EU finances 75%.
- The Finnish government has capitalized the implementer of the pipeline Baltic Connector -company for 30 million euros.
- The pipeline is to be introduced in 2020.
Between Inkoo and Paldiski, an 80 kilometres long undersea pipeline is lowered, on which the gas can flow to both ways.
The contract set high quality demands for the surface treatment, because the pipeline is under the ground and it has to endure harsh mechanical stress during the years. Part of the pipeline remains on the ground.
FSP was responsible for the surface treatment of the welding seams on-site in Inkoo, where the valve station is built as a part of a compressor station.