LNG terminal to be operational this year?
PR dla Zagranicy
Roberto Galea
27.05.2015 07:55
Following significant delays, an under-construction LNG terminal on the Baltic coast, designed to diversify Poland’s gas supply, could be operational by the end of the year.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The terminal in Świnoujście, north-western Poland, is seen as a strategic investment that will allow the country to import large quantities of LNG from countries such as Qatar, providing an alternative to purchasing gas from Russia.
The port was initially due to be finished by June 2014 but following frequent disputes between investors and the Italian company Saipem, which is in charge of the project, this has been pushed back to an unspecified deadline.
However Tadeusz Tański, director of the Polish LNG company, has announced that “The first LNG carriers should arrive at the terminal this year.” He added that the construction is currently "97.5 percent" complete.
Saipem had previously speculated that initial gas deliveries could be possible this summer, although only on the condition of receiving financial support from the investor.
Apart from finishing the construction work itself the terminal must undergo testing to make sure there are no issues.
According to Tański this is also proceeding well, with 90 percent of pipelines on the site having been already certified for usage.
Once operational the terminal will allow Poland to import up to five billion cubic meters of LNG per annum, covering around a third of the country’s demand. If necessary capacity could be boosted to 7.5 billion cubic meters. (sl/rg)
Source: PAP