Poland aims to end long-term gas supplies from Russia after 2022

Poland does not plan to renew a long-term gas supply contract with Russia when its current deal with Gazprom expires in 2022, a government official responsible for gas and power infrastructure told Reuters on Monday. "We will be aiming at a situation where a long-term contract becomes a thing of the past. If the price of Russian gas is competitive enough we do not rule out buying it, but definitely not as part of a long-term contract," Naimski said. Polish state-run gas firm PGNiG buys up to 10.2 bcm of gas a year from Russian gas giant Gazprom, accounting for the bulk of Poland's annual consumption of nearly 15 bcm. The contract, signed in 1996, expires in 2022. To reduce its reliance on Russian gas, Poland has built its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal and plans to build a pipeline to the North Sea. PGNiG also plans to build a pipeline to carry gas from Norway to Poland. It should be up and running by 2022.