Page 12 - FSUOGM Week 40 2022

FSUOGM POLICY FSUOGM

Poland places Gazprom Export

on sanctions list

POLAND POLAND has placed the export arm of Russia’s TurkStream under the Black Sea and transit
Gazprom on its national sanctions list, freezing through Ukraine, which Gazprom threatened
Poland has frozen the all of the company’s assets in the country. to halt last week over unpaid fees.
Russian exporters’ The Polish interior ministry announced the Poland is set to start receiving gas from Nor-
assets. sanctions on September 29. Access to the finan- way shortly via the newly commissioned Bal-
cial funds and economic assets of Gazprom tic Pipe system, and it also has access to LNG
Export are prohibited, the ministry said, adding imports and pipeline volumes from Lithuania.
that the company’s deputy head, Mikhail Sereda, On September 30, Poland and the Czech
had been placed on the US sanctions blacklist. Republic asked the European Commission to
“The activities of Gazprom Export LCC are provide funding for a new pipeline to link their
of strategic importance for the government of two systems. The Stork II interconnector project
the Russian Federation,” the ministry said on its was previously abandoned, but has gained atten-
website. tion now that Europe is scrambling to cut gas
Earlier in April, Poland imposed sanctions on ties with Russia. It would benefit both countries’
50 Russian oligarchs and companies including energy security, but primarily that of the Czech
Gazprom, in response to Moscow’s invasion of Republic, which is heavily dependent on Russian
Ukraine. At the end of that month, Gazprom also gas and has limited alternatives.
cut off gas supply to Poland, because of its refusal “A direct connection to Polish LNG termi-
to pay for volumes in rubles. nals will allow us to secure gas supplies to our
Sanctions and counter-sanctions imposed territory from suppliers other than Russia,”
by Russia and Poland on each other have also Czech Industry Minister Jozef Sikela said in a
prevented the operation of the Yamal-Europe, statement. “In addition, this interconnection
one of the four key routes for Russian gas flow- will lead to a reduction in the cost of gas trans-
ing to Europe. With the Nord Stream pipelines portation, and therefore the final price for con-
now heavily damaged, that leaves only the sumers.” ™

P12 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 40 06•October•2022