Polish Briefing: Brussels protected Poland from an even worse gas contract with Russia

What goes on in Poland on the 3rd of July.

Naimski: Brussels protected Poland from an even worse gas contract with Russia

– Extension of the Gazprom monopoly, loss of control over EuroPolGaz by agreeing to joint decision-making. The package of negotiated contracts was de facto stopping the development of diversification projects – said Piotr Naimski, Government Plenipotentiary for strategic energy infrastructure at a press conference after the publication of a secret report on the Yamal contract from 2010.

The secrecy clause was lifted on June 27 this year based on the decision of the President of the Supreme Audit Office from the day before. The Supreme Audit Office then pointed out a series of irregularities to the Ministry of Economy, which conducted negotiations with the Russian side.

– The threat of a gas crisis in 2009 has been neglected. The government had such signals, but it did not respond. As a result of contracts, the profit of EuroPolGaz for the transmission of over 30 billion cubic meters of gas amounted to only PLN 21 million. Actual loss of profits from gas transit through Poland, amounting to PLN 1 billion of Gazprom gift, loss of control over Europolgaz, consolidation of dependence on Russia, suspension of gas diversification – results of gas talks from 2008 to 2010 – D. Tusk and W. Pawlak sought to extend the gas supply contract until 2037. It would mean giving up other sources – said Naimski.

Sobolewski: The Ministry of Energy is waiting for political agreement for the nuclear energy

– We are at the stage of changes in the Polish Nuclear Power Program (PPEJ). The administration has done its job. The Ministry of Energy is convinced that nuclear energy is our future development and there is no other possible option – said Józef Sobolewski, the Director of the Nuclear Energy Department at the Ministry of Energy during a meeting of the Parliamentary Nuclear Power Team.

In his opinion, the PPEJ requires the approval of the entire government. – There is a need to obtain political acceptance. Both a month and a month and a half ago, during the meetings I did not hear either or both – he said.

As the representative of the Ministry of energy pointed out, the ministry is working on various possibilities of implementing the PPEJ. – We are preparing different variants and maybe at some point we will get decisions at the level of the Council of Ministers – Sobolewski added.