Poland's GAZ-SYSTEM Places 39-Kilometer Racibórz-Rybnik Gas Pipeline Into Service
A newly commissioned gas pipeline in southern Poland is set to strengthen transmission capacity, support future gas-fired power generation and advance a larger strategic corridor across the Silesia region.
(P&GJ) — GAZ-SYSTEM has placed a new 24-mile (39-km) natural gas pipeline between Racibórz and Rybnik into service, marking the first completed segment of a larger transmission corridor planned to connect Racibórz and Oświęcim in southern Poland.
The new pipeline is designed to strengthen energy security in the Silesia region, increase flexibility within Poland's gas transmission network and support new gas-fired power generation projects planned near Rybnik.
The 28-inch (700-mm) diameter pipeline will supply natural gas to two future power facilities, including a combined-cycle gas turbine plant and a gas-fired generating unit. The project forms part of Poland's broader effort to transition portions of its power sector from coal to lower-emission natural gas generation.
The pipeline route crosses several municipalities in Poland's Silesian Province and includes two line valve stations, a pig launcher and receiver facility in Racibórz, and a fiber-optic telemetry system that provides real-time operational monitoring. The line also connects with the Kędzierzyn-Koźle–Racibórz pipeline, which entered service in 2025, creating part of an approximately 50-mile (80-km) transmission corridor.
Construction included 20 trenchless crossings, including an approximately 0.5-mile (800-meter) horizontal directional drilling crossing beneath the Oder River and a separate Direct Pipe crossing beneath the Sumina River and adjacent rail infrastructure.
"We are building gas infrastructure that is more flexible and prepared for future market needs," Dariusz Bogdan, a member of GAZ-SYSTEM's management board, said in a statement. He said the project supports regional development while contributing to Poland's energy transition and improving energy reliability in the region.
The Racibórz-Rybnik project received funding through the European Union's Infrastructure, Climate and Environment program. GAZ-SYSTEM said the broader Kędzierzyn-Koźle-Racibórz-Rybnik corridor is intended to support long-term transmission capacity needs and future energy infrastructure development across southern Poland.