Piotr Naimski, the government’s plenipotentiary for strategic energy infrastructure, declared that after the completion of the Yamal contract at the end of 2022, Poland would no longer buy gas from Russia. “Even if someone may think that further contracts would be beneficial in terms of business, nowadays it is difficult to imagine it at all”, said Piotr Naimski. He noted that although Russian gas currently has a large share in Poland’s imports, Polish Oil and Gas Mining (PGNiG) is able to replace it.

PGNiG has a portfolio of contracts that will replace Russian supplies, and Gaz-System is completing the investments that are necessary for this aim. In October the Baltic will be commissioned, the LNG terminal will be expanded and other infrastructure will be ready as well, including gas connection with Lithuania and Slovakia.

“For many years, we paid more for gas from the Russian monopolistic supplier for the price higher than in Western Europe. Now, the prices will be European”, explained the government plenipotentiary for strategic energy infrastructure.

The current, very high European prices will be stabilized, because all buyers in Europe are trying to purchase supplies other than from Russia. In the US, which is an exporter of LNG to Europe, the gas prices on the exchange have not increased at all, the globalization of the gas market will lead to acceptable prices.

Naimski also stressed that the Polish government is in favor of introducing an immediate embargo on oil supplies from Russia.

“Polish refineries are able to switch to other oil supplies, as it was practiced in 2019, when Russian oil was contaminated and its flow had to be stopped”, reminded Naimski, pointing out that for over 40 days Polish refineries were then supplied by the oil terminal.

“This, however, affects the price, and the oil may be more expensive, but on the other hand, people are dying in Ukraine”, said the plenipotentiary.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński