Minister of Transport Wlodzimierz Karpinski has insisted that a LNG terminal in Swinoujscie, north west Poland, will not be subject to further delays and it will open in mid-2015.
“In accordance with long-standing contracts, we will be able to receive liquefied natural gas in 2015,” he said during a press conference on site at Swinoujscie on Tuesday afternoon.
The LNG terminal is part of Poland’s programme to diversify its energy portfolio, diminishing dependence on Russian natural gas, and it was originally supposed to open this year. The government later changed its forecast to 2015. However, among the illicitly recorded tapes that have shaken the government over the last month, one transcript appeared to indicate that the delays were worse than earlier revealed.
During a taped conversation between former Minister of Transport Slawomir Nowak and Andrzej Parafianowicz, the recently suspended vice president of state gas giant PGNiG, the latter appeared to say said that the construction team believes that 2017 is a more realistic launch date.
Nevertheless, Karpinski rebuffed the notion of further delays on Tuesday, claiming that the investment is 90 percent finished. “In accordance with long-standing contracts, we will be able to receive liquefied gas in 2015,” he said.
“There is no danger that the realisation of the project will be delayed or that we will pay for gas which we will not be able to receive,” he insisted. The gas terminal in Swinoujscie is scheduled to enable the import of abour 5 billion cubic metres of LNG per year. This may later be increased to 7.5 billion cubic metres annually.
Source: Polskie Radio - nh - PAP
http://www.thenews.pl/1/12/Artykul/176374,Minister-insists-no-more-delays-for-LNG-terminal-