Kicking the habit
Aleksander Gudzowaty, chief of heavy industry giant Bartimpex, has told the Business Journal that the solution to Poland's natural gas supply problem lies in the Bartimpex-backed Bernau-Szczecin pipeline between Germany and Poland.
The imperative to diversify Poland's gas supply was highlighted last month as Russian state gas monopolist Gazprom temporarily switched off gas supplies to Belarus, disrupting supply to Poland, which currently depends on Russia for most of its gas needs.
In the days following the crisis, the state-owned Polish Oil and Gas Company (POGC, or PGNiG) signed a memorandum of understanding with Norway's Statoil to supply North Sea gas to Poland.
"PGNiG confirms that it wants to diversify gas purchases while Statoil maintains its interest in participating in this diversification by sending gas supplies to Poland," said Marek Kossowski, PGNiG president.
Both Statoil and the PGNiG have considered the development of a pipeline across the floor of the Baltic Sea, as well as the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) technology to supply gas by ship. Last year, the Baltic pipeline project was abandoned, after an assessment was made that there would not be enough demand to justify the new supply line.
Gudzowaty is keen to ensure that the plan for a Baltic pipeline does not resurface by itself. He argues that his solution would enable the choice of importing gas via the continental pipeline network from any European country. For Gudzowaty, the Baltic pipeline project alone would merely enable a duopoly by Russian and Norwegian suppliers, and would not create a truly diverse choice of gas transport links.
Gudzowaty believes that previous government opposition to his favored project stopped the diversification of gas supply that could have been completed by 2002. Gudzowaty estimates that the pipeline from Norway may not be completed until 2007, by which time Norwegian gas reserves will almost have run out. Furthmore, the Gudzowaty plan would entail a 28km pipeline project up to the German border. The Baltic pipeline, in theory, would be 800km in length.
"We don't mind which country the gas comes from," says Gudzowaty, "The point is security. Poland should not be in a situation where we are held by the neck by one or two foreign suppliers." Gudzowaty even goes as far as to say that a lack of choice of natural gas supply lines puts the country at the mercy of terrorist attack.
Last week, Gudzowaty publicly called for political backing for the Bernau-Szczecin plan, a backing which "...has been strangely lacking in the governments of Buzek and Miller." The Bartimpex chief says that the issue of gas supply diversification has been hijacked by politicians who are not only misrepresenting the facts about the issue, but have not been telling the truth.
"The Szczeczin pipeline could have connected us to the EU. Instead, the government made a deal with the Russians. I wonder why this happened and I wonder who profited from this deal." According to Gudzowaty, Bartimpex had presented the Economy Ministry with a list of detailed reasons about why the government should back the plan, and he has yet to receive an intelligent explanation as to why it cannot go ahead.
The Belarus dispute emerged over disagreements over pricing and the allegation that the Belorussians had been illegally siphoning off gas. A temporary resolution to the conflict was made after President Lukashenko of Belarus confirmed that he would agree to Russian demands.
Prime Minister Leszek Miller has publicly attacked recent Gazprom policy, commenting that the Belarus decision reduced faith in Russia's responsibility as a supplier. Miller was quoted as saying, "This situation will have consequences because it undermines confidence in Russian suppliers, not only in Poland but also across Western Europe."
In its most recent letter to Gazprom, PGNiG has called for bilateral talks to discuss the security of gas supply. "We still have not received any reply," says Marek Kossowski. "We will demand guarantees to ensure the continuity of our national gas supplies, even in crisis situations."
Estimated supplies of up to 2.5 billion cubic meters of Norwegian gas per year are said to be possible, a 500 percent increase on current supply via Germany.
The imperative to diversify Poland's gas supply was highlighted last month as Russian state gas monopolist Gazprom temporarily switched off gas supplies to Belarus, disrupting supply to Poland, which currently depends on Russia for most of its gas needs.
In the days following the crisis, the state-owned Polish Oil and Gas Company (POGC, or PGNiG) signed a memorandum of understanding with Norway's Statoil to supply North Sea gas to Poland.
"PGNiG confirms that it wants to diversify gas purchases while Statoil maintains its interest in participating in this diversification by sending gas supplies to Poland," said Marek Kossowski, PGNiG president.
Both Statoil and the PGNiG have considered the development of a pipeline across the floor of the Baltic Sea, as well as the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) technology to supply gas by ship. Last year, the Baltic pipeline project was abandoned, after an assessment was made that there would not be enough demand to justify the new supply line.
Gudzowaty is keen to ensure that the plan for a Baltic pipeline does not resurface by itself. He argues that his solution would enable the choice of importing gas via the continental pipeline network from any European country. For Gudzowaty, the Baltic pipeline project alone would merely enable a duopoly by Russian and Norwegian suppliers, and would not create a truly diverse choice of gas transport links.
Gudzowaty believes that previous government opposition to his favored project stopped the diversification of gas supply that could have been completed by 2002. Gudzowaty estimates that the pipeline from Norway may not be completed until 2007, by which time Norwegian gas reserves will almost have run out. Furthmore, the Gudzowaty plan would entail a 28km pipeline project up to the German border. The Baltic pipeline, in theory, would be 800km in length.
"We don't mind which country the gas comes from," says Gudzowaty, "The point is security. Poland should not be in a situation where we are held by the neck by one or two foreign suppliers." Gudzowaty even goes as far as to say that a lack of choice of natural gas supply lines puts the country at the mercy of terrorist attack.
Last week, Gudzowaty publicly called for political backing for the Bernau-Szczecin plan, a backing which "...has been strangely lacking in the governments of Buzek and Miller." The Bartimpex chief says that the issue of gas supply diversification has been hijacked by politicians who are not only misrepresenting the facts about the issue, but have not been telling the truth.
"The Szczeczin pipeline could have connected us to the EU. Instead, the government made a deal with the Russians. I wonder why this happened and I wonder who profited from this deal." According to Gudzowaty, Bartimpex had presented the Economy Ministry with a list of detailed reasons about why the government should back the plan, and he has yet to receive an intelligent explanation as to why it cannot go ahead.
The Belarus dispute emerged over disagreements over pricing and the allegation that the Belorussians had been illegally siphoning off gas. A temporary resolution to the conflict was made after President Lukashenko of Belarus confirmed that he would agree to Russian demands.
Prime Minister Leszek Miller has publicly attacked recent Gazprom policy, commenting that the Belarus decision reduced faith in Russia's responsibility as a supplier. Miller was quoted as saying, "This situation will have consequences because it undermines confidence in Russian suppliers, not only in Poland but also across Western Europe."
In its most recent letter to Gazprom, PGNiG has called for bilateral talks to discuss the security of gas supply. "We still have not received any reply," says Marek Kossowski. "We will demand guarantees to ensure the continuity of our national gas supplies, even in crisis situations."
Estimated supplies of up to 2.5 billion cubic meters of Norwegian gas per year are said to be possible, a 500 percent increase on current supply via Germany.
