Polskie LNG, the operator of Poland's only LNG import terminal in Świnoujście, has signed an agreement on an EU grant for expanding the terminal by 50% by 2021 under the EU State aid rules. Polskie LNG will receive a PLN553m (€218m) support from the European Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund, under the 2014-20 Infrastructure and Environment Operational Programme.
This expansion project will be implemented under the "design and build" formula and will allow the terminal to raise its import capacity from 5 bcm/year to 7.5 bcm/year. It will also include the construction of a third LNG storage tank to prop up the operational flexibility of the LNG terminal installation and the construction of an LNG-to-Rail transshipment installation. The expansion project is expected to be commissioned between the second quarter of 2021 (regasification capacity expansion) and 2023 (storage and transshipment installation).
The project should contribute to ensuring security of gas supplies in Poland and in the Baltic countries by diversifying gas supplies and promoting new gas transport routes in the region. In 2018, Polish LNG imports (most of which from Qatar, Norway and the United States) rose by 58% (from 1.7 bcm in 2017 to 2.7 bcm in 2018), accounting for 20% of total gas imports. Meanwhile, Russian gas imports declined by 6%, from around 9.7 bcm in 2017 to roughly 9 bcm in 2018. Consequently, the share of gas imports from Russia in the total Polish import volumes dropped from 89% in 2017 to less than 67% in 2018.
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