Polish gas giant seals 20-year deal to import US LNG
PR dla Zagranicy
Grzegorz Siwicki
17.10.2018 15:30
Polish state-run gas company PGNiG says it has finalised an unprecedented long-term deal for the purchase of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States amid efforts to make Poland independent of Russian supplies.
Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (right) and US Ambassador to Poland Georgette Mosbacher (left) during a news conference in Warsaw on Wednesday. Photo: PAP/Rafał Guz
Under the deal with two subsidiaries of the US-based Venture Global LNG company, the Polish gas giant aims to import up to 2 million tonnes of LNG from the United States annually over 20 years, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported, citing PGNiG’s CEO Piotr Woźniak.
Poland’s state PAP news agency quoted Woźniak as saying that Poland would be paying "20-something percent" less for US gas than for Russian supplies.
Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters in Warsaw on Wednesday that the deal, which is due to take full effect in 2022, would help reduce his country's dependence on Russian gas deliveries.
US Ambassador to Poland Georgette Mosbacher told a news conference that the United States was a credible partner for Poland and that it would remain so in the future, the IAR news agency reported.
Mosbacher said on Wednesday in a Polish-language tweet that the contract marked a milestone in deepening energy cooperation between the United States and Poland and in strengthening energy security in Europe.
Poland and the United States in September pledged to step up cooperation on energy projects as part of a joint declaration on strategic partnership.
Poland aims to stop importing natural gas from Russia after 2022, according to officials.
(gs/pk)
Source: IAR/PAP