Energy oasis?
High-ranking Polish officials made a three-day state visit to Yemen last week which focused on political cooperation between both countries as well as investment opportunities between Polish and Yemeni businesses.
The delegation, headed by Polish Economy Minister Piotr Woniak and Tadeusz Zwierzyński, leader of the winoujcie liquefied-natural gas (LNG) terminal project, met with a number of Yemeni officials, including Prime Minister Ali Muhammad al-Mujawwar, in hopes of improving cooperation with Yemen, especially with regard to oil and gas investments.
A large number Polish firms have expressed their desire to work with Yemeni companies. The top Polish refiners, PKN Orlen and Grupa Lotos, which have about 400 million tonnes in crude oil reserves, are among the companies that have expressed interest in extracting crude oil from Yemen.
Woniak believes Polish companies have a lot of opportunities in Yemen, and said that he "encourages Polish firms to visit Yemen and learn about the available investment opportunities." Poland is hoping to sign contracts to assure LNG deliveries to the winoujcie natural-gas terminal, scheduled to begin construction in 2008.
In recent months the Polish government has become increasingly interested in improving its ties with oil-rich nations in the Middle East and Asia. Government officials have made frequent visits to important oil and gas-exporting countries in its effort to make Poland less dependent on Russia. At the end of the month, Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński is set to visit Qatar and will likely discuss LNG contracts during his visit.
Chris Gotowski
