Prime Minister: LNG terminal in Świnoujście has green light

During his Saturday visit to Świnoujście the Prime Minister praised the progress of the project and explained how important it was from the perspective of the energy security in Poland.

“This is a model investment. In a few years’ time the gas supplies in Poland will be very balanced: the LNG terminal of Świnoujście will satisfy approximately one third of the Polish gas-based needs, another one third of the gas needs will be met by the long-established Russian suppliers and the rest will be covered by the domestic gas mining” – he stated.

Donald Tusk also informed everybody that the German side concluded that the investment would not affect the cross-border environmental conditions. A dispute on that subject could stall the investment and block the inflow of EU subsidies. Fortunately, according to the Polish Press Agency, the German side has already submitted the required documentation to the European Commission which has granted EUR 80 million for the project of the LNG terminal in Świnoujście under the energy-related investment portfolio. The investors can apply for 30 percent of that amount even this current month.

When visiting the construction site Zbigniew Rapciak, the President of the company: Polskie LNG, declared that the investment project was two months ahead of schedule and was fully secured financially. At present, geological and geodetic works are carried out in the construction area and soon the land will be examined 60 meters down, a requirement resulting form the capacity of liquefied gas tankers: an empty tanker weighs 70 thousand tones, it is 40 meters high and has 80 meters in diameter.

Zbigniew Rapciak also informed us that erecting the foundations of the LNG tankers were scheduled to start next year, and the pipelines would be installed in 2012. It is planned that the LNG terminal will be connected to the transmission network in 2013, and the following year the mechanical and technical start-ups will be carried out.

The LNG terminal facility in Świnoujście will be commissioned on 30 June 2014. It is expected to store and regasify up to 5 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year, with the expansion possibility of up to 7.5 billion cubic meters. The investment will cost PLN 2.9 billion.

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