Page 7 - EurOil Week 19 2022

EurOil PIPELINES & TRANSPORT EurOil

Poland receives first LNG

cargo via Klaipeda

POLAND POLAND’S state-owned gas importer PGNiG disruption in Russian gas flow in the near term,
has received its first batch of LNG via the Klai- as its gas storage facilities are currently 83% full,
The cargo shipment peda regasification terminal in Lithuania, mak- according to data published by Gas Infrastruc-
was possible thanks to ing use of a recently-launched pipeline linking ture Europe. And in time for the next heating
the launch of a new gas the two countries. season, Poland is also due to start receiving pipe-
link between Lithuania Gas Interconnector Poland-Lithuania (GIPL) line gas from Norway in October this year when
and Poland. was commissioned on May 5, enabling Poland the 10 bcm per year Baltic Connector is due up
to access up to 1.9bn cubic metres per year of gas and running.
from Lithuania and its 3.75 bcm per year termi- Poland also plans to expand its 5.5 bcm per
nal in Klaipeda. The launch came days after Rus- year Swinoujscie LNG terminal by a further 2.1
sia, which normally delivers up to two-thirds of bcm per year by 2023, and construct a second,
Poland’s gas, cut off supply after Warsaw refused 6.1 bcm per year regasification facility in Gdansk
to pay in rubles. two years after that. These projects are the result
The Aristidis I LNG carrier brought a cargo of years of preparation by Polish authorities for a
of 65,000 tonnes of LNG or 150,000 cubic metres future without Russian gas, led by Piotr Naimski,
of natural gas to the Klaipeda terminal that had the official responsible for Polish energy security.
been purchased by PGNiG at a liquefaction plant But planners in Warsaw had anticipated the end
in Freeport, Texas. of Russian gas imports at the end of this year,
“The first delivery of LNG received by when PGNiG’s long-term supply contract with
PGNiG at the regasification terminal in Klai- Gazprom expires, rather than a sudden cut-off
peda is an important milestone in the imple- this spring.
mentation of our strategy to build a strong “We are prepared,” Naimski said in an inter-
position for the group on the international view on Polish radio on April 27, hours after
LNG trading market,” PGNiG’s board presi- Russia informed Poland it was ceasing deliver-
dent, Iwona Waksmundzka-Olejniczak, said ies. “We have the ability to bring enough gas to
in a statement. Poland, so that there is enough for everyone. We
Poland is well-positioned to manage the can remain calm.” ™

Week 19 12•May•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P7