Reuters: Polish firms miss deadline but continue talks on shale gas deal

Polish gas monopoly PGNiG said on Tuesday it and four other state-controlled companies had missed a deadline this week to work out how to cooperate in developing the country's shale gas resources but would continue negotiations.

PGNiG, copper miner KGHM and utilities PGE, Tauron and Enea agreed last July to spend 1.7 billion zlotys ($552.88 million) on joint exploration and extraction of shale gas.

They had originally aimed to work out details by early November but pushed that back to February 4.

"Our partners asked us to sign an appendix to the agreement," PGNiG spokeswoman Joanna Zakrzewska said on Tuesday.

"Negotiations continue and like other business talks of this type, they are not the easiest ones. We want to pinpoint the cooperation principles precisely. We do not rule out that the role of PGNiG will change," she said.  MORE