Skanled pipeline's ups and downs

The plan to lay a gas pipeline from Norway to Sweden and Denmark has survived last-minute doubts by some of its backers, but commercial uncertainties remain, Martin Quinlan writes

Companies behind the planned Skanled pipeline, which will flow gas from Norwegian fields to eastern Norway, Sweden and Denmark – and possibly on to continental Europe – were due to submit a Plan for Installation and Operation (PIO) to the ministry of petroleum and energy on 1 May (delayed from 1 April). The schedule could see the pipeline start flowing in late-2012. Skanled will open up a new Scandinavian market for Norwegian gas, while giving the buyer-countries a secure new supply. However, the Skanled project has had a roller-coaster ride through its development stages and is still far from watertight. Gassco, the state-owned operator of Norway's pipeline system, is leading the studies in