PGNiG is increasing gas production and has announced the charter of seven ships to transport LNG. The company intends its gas storage facilities to be over 90% full by November. The current storage capacity in Poland is 3.24 billion cubic meters.
The company emphasizes that in the face of the events in Ukraine, the most important thing is security – including energy security. Therefore, PGNiG is increasing production from its own sources. Gas production in Norway in 2020 amounted to less than 0.5 billion cubic meters, in 2021 it was already nearly 1.5 billion. This year it is forecasted to be 2.5 billion cubic meters.
Last year, before the winter season, the company loaded its storage to their maximum levels. In other European countries, this storage level was below the multi-year average.
Paweł Majewski, the president of PGNiG emphasizes that currently, the European Commission has started to notice the role of storage and how important is who owns them. “In order to secure gas supplies for 2022 before the next winter season, the EU is promoting filling storages up to 90% of their capacity before the winter season, in November. We have been doing this for a long time.”
LNG is a key aspect of diversification. In March, PGNiG will make a record number of deliveries – a total of five LNG tankers will arrive in Świnoujście.
During the conference, Majewski also spoke about the differences in gas prices, which on March 25, 2020 cost EUR 18 per MWh, and today’s price is EUR 118 per MWh.
“The mere juxtaposition of these two figures shows how difficult last year was and how difficult the situation has been today. At present, no one is questioning Russia’s manipulation of the gas market anymore. For the first time, the Polish saying “a Pole is wise after the damage” has turned out to be obsolete. We had already expected what would happen before the damage, today the whole of Europe is bearing the consequences of this manipulation”, said Majewski.
The president of PGNiG also referred to the statement by the Russian president about “accepting payments for gas in rubles from hostile countries”. The list of these countries includes the Member States of the European Union.
Majewski stated that it is not very feasible. “The details of the contract which I cannot reveal, provide for a method of payment. The contractor cannot freely change the method of payment. PGNiG will implement the contract as it is obligated”, Majewski announced.
Arkadiusz Słomczyński order