The Baltic Pipe gas pipeline is contracted to transfer 5 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas this year, the prime minister said on Thursday.
Mateusz Morawiecki added that the pipeline will transfer 10 bcm next year.
Baltic Pipe is a Polish-Danish strategic gas infrastructure project that will allow the transport of gas from the Norwegian shelf in the North Sea to Poland and will be operational in October 2022.
“According to the information I have received from specialists at (Polish gas firm – PAP) PGNiG, this year about 5 billion cubic metres will be contracted (to flow through the Baltic Pipe – PAP) and next year the full transfer capacity of that gas, or about 10 billion cubic metres,” Morawiecki said.
The prime minister added that Poland’s annual domestic gas extraction stood at about 4 bcm and the gasport in the coastal town of Swinoujscie could handle 6.5 bcm though its capacity will rise to 8 bcm.
“National consumption this year might even fall compared to last year and will be a little below 20 bcm,” Morawiecki continued. “Those are the current forecasts so it can easily be summarised and calculated that we will not be held to that (Russian) gas blackmail that today Germans, Austrians, Czechs, the Dutch and many others are subject to.”
Morawiecki highlighted that Poland is a “gas sovereign” country today.