Poland, Ukraine to Double Gas Link Capacity
Poland and Ukraine plan to double the transmission capacity of their gas interconnector to 12.4 million cubic meters per day from the current 6.4 million cubic meters per day, according to Ukraine’s Energy Ministry.
The ministry said it was looking to import large volumes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States through Germany, Poland, Lithuania and Greece ahead of the winter heating season.
As a result of Russian strikes on Ukraine’s gas storage facilities, Ukraine is keen to diversify its natural gas supply and sees Poland as a key strategic energy partner when it comes to its gas imports.
“The Polish route is one of the most important gas import destinations for Ukraine,” the ministry said on its Telegram messenger channel.
“Its role will only grow, as Poland’s gas transmission system provides access to diversified sources of natural gas, including liquefied gas from around the world,” it added.
On June 11, at the Ukraine-South-East Europe summit in Odesa, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about the impact of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s gas infrastructure.
“Due to the fact that strikes were carried out on storage facilities, on our gas infrastructure, and on production, we are helping the private sector to recover both financially and with loans,” Zelenskyy said.
“We are asking foreign partners for help regarding the additional volume of gas injection into our gas storage facilities. We are working on this with various countries,” he said.
Temporary solution
Polish pipelines operator Gaz-System said higher volumes of gas will be available through auctions for daily and monthly capacity, with the auction for increased July volumes planned for June 16.
This is a temporary situation while the modernization of the metering station in Hermanowice, southeastern Poland, is still in progress, it added.
“Nevertheless…the current technical and commercial conditions of the national transmission network are sufficient to provide assistance to Ukraine by ensuring uninterrupted natural gas supply,” Gaz-System said.
“The improvement of export system capabilities that will provide long-term stability of gas supply to Ukraine requires additional investments in transmission infrastructure,” it said.
Source: Tvp World