Ruhrgas hopes for more support for planned Bernau-Szczecin gas pipeline

Ruhrgas president Burckhard Bergmann has said he hopes the new Polish government will adopt a more favorable attitude than the previous administration towards the proposed construction of a gas pipeline between Berlin and Szczecin. German natural gas consortium Ruhrgas is planning with its Polish partner Bartimpex to construct the pipeline between Bernau on the outskirts of Berlin and Szczecin in Northwest Poland. The new route could link existing Polish and Ruhrgas pipelines, allowing the transport of seven billion to eight billion cubic meters of Ruhrgas natural gas annually, as well as gas purchased from Norway. Polish Oil and Gas (PGNiG) has as yet expressed no interest in the pipeline's construction, as it would prefer to purchase gas directly from Norway and thus avoid paying transport charges to the German company. Bergmann criticized this attitude, and pointed out that natural gas supplied under the contract with Norway could initially be sent via the Bernau-Szczecin route. Commenting on the construction of the second phase of the Yamal pipeline, which will take Russian natural gas to Germany through Poland, Bergmann said he could not see it beginning in the near future. "I do not anticipate an increase in the demand for Russian gas that would exceed the pre-ordered quantities," he explained. (Gazeta Wyborcza, Nov. 10-11, p. 26) M.T.K.