Vopak's product pipeline proposal, just a pipe dream?

Despite the failure to sell the Naftobazy fuel storage company to Dutch oil and chemical logistics firm Vopak, the would-be investor still harbors plans to establish operations in this country. "The firm is interested is setting up a logistics company based on the product pipelines belonging to PERN," said a source close to Vopak. The concept is based on the assumption that pipelines carrying refined products, unlike those carrying oil, would not constitute a threat to the safety of the country's energy supply. Additionally, such a venture would also enable the Dutch firm to open up the pipeline system to other potential users, for at present PERN only handles PKN Orlen's fuel products. "The Dutch enterprise proposes to construct a bypass around Płock based on existing pipelines. An interesting idea would be the construction of a new pipeline leading to Grupa Lotos [facilities]," said the source. However, neither Nafta Polska nor PERN seem particularly interested in the concept. (Puls Biznesu, pp. 1, 5) M.M.