New German-Polish gas pipeline online by 2018?

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Currently, Polish Energy Partners is in the process of acquiring a stake in Polenergia Holding, which originally bought the project – which would add another Polish-German gas link – from the Bartimpex-E.ON consortium.

Polenergia is majority-owned by Kulczyk Holding, owned by Poland’s richest man Jan Kulczyk, and will have a 51-percent stake in the project.

Polish Energy Partners’ CEO Zbigniew Prokopowicz told the wnp.pl website that the new Bernau-Szczecin pipeline is the most realistic intersystem gas link project between the two countries.

The project has got the initial green light from German regulators, with a preliminary go-ahead from the Polish URE energy regulator. About 85 percent of the pipeline will be in Germany, with the remaining 15 percent constructed in Poland.

“We have operator contracts in the project which would allow for the flow of 5 billion cubic metres, of which 3 billion cubic metres would be sent across the German gas system,” Prokopowicz said.

When in service, the pipeline may provide stiff competition for Polish gas giant PGNiG, and provide a better position for Poland when negotiating gas imports from Russia, as the reversible interconnector would also link Poland’s new LNG terminal with additional gas sources to the west of the country. (jb)