Poland-Russia Gas Talks: No Progress
Weekend talks on concluding a new gas agreement between Poland and Russia do not have appeared to have made progress.
The two countries and representatives of the European Union met in Moscow on Saturday. The discussions are taking place with the backdrop of Poland facing a serious threat of gas shortages this winter.
Poland's gas monopoly PGNiG, today warned of gas shortages in the fourth quarter if Poland fails to sign gas deal with Russia by October 20th.
Dziennik Gazeta Prawna reports that PGNiG has confidentially advised gas grid operator Gaz-System that the amount of gas it is able to supply in the fourth quarter will not meet the needs of the Polish economy.
PGNIG has been indicating the potential for a shortfall of gas for the past several moths, but the situation has now reached the critical juncture where formal, regulatory notification was required.
“We did not want to effect the Polish-Russian gas negotiations,” explained PGNiG in answer to the question of why the Gaz-System documents were not made public.
The Polish Ministry of Economy has stated that the negotiations with Russia will continue through the week.
Vice President of PGNiG Radoslaw Dudzinski said that PGNiG is continuing efforts to secure natural gas supplies via the E.ON Ruhrgas transmission system.
E.ON Ruhrgas had agreed to supply Poland with natural gas, should its on-going discussions with Russia not satisfactorily conclude prior to any risk to Polish consumers.
E.ON Ruhrgas had planed to divert some of its Russian gas destined for its Hungarian subsidiary to the Poland. However Ukraine has not to date, provided the required license to reroute and transit gas through Ukraine to the Drozdowice border point with Poland.