What goes on in Poland on the 25th of February.
There is a chance for a Poland-Ukraine gas pipeline
There is a chance for EU financing of the Poland-Ukraine gas pipeline in order to ensure security of supplies to the Ukrainian market via Poland. Sources in the European Commission argue that Europe’s energy security is not threatened by the war in Ukraine, even in the event of a break in the supplies of hydrocarbons from Russia.
„We are lucky because we have diversified our gas supply sources. Poland has opened an LNG terminal, which will be expanded. This is one of the options. The Baltic Pipe is to be completed in 2022. This is not the optimum to change the sources of supply overnight, because prices will increase,” says the BiznesAlert.pl source in the European Commission. „We are considering various options, not only are we looking for alternative suppliers, but also short and medium term solutions. Energy efficiency is also a way. By reducing the demand, you have the freedom to manage your resources differently. This should be taken seriously,” they continue.
The worst-case scenario is that Europe will be cut off from gas from Russia, where it currently gets around 40 percent of its demand. „In the oil sector, we have different options. We import by sea and there are more options. Gas arrives through gas pipelines and we have not had much diversification so far. LNG terminals in Europe were already operating in 2021 with a 75 percent load. Another option is gas connections,” explained the BiznesAlert.pl interlocutor in the European Commission. „An example may be the connections of Poland with Norway or Lithuania, but also with Slovakia. All these connections were co-financed from EU funds. Thanks to them, one can manage one’s transmission. However, Gazprom’s gas storage facilities in Germany were emptied by the Russians. They should be subject to ownership unbundling, as in Poland, which had to separate an operator independent from PGNiG,” the source explained.
Anti-vaxxers threaten with fuel shortages
The Institute for Internet and Social Media Research warns that channels that have been promoting the criticism of vaccination against the coronavirus are currently being used to spread information about fuel shortages in Poland. This information is false and may be part of an information warfare waged by the Kremlin.
The Institute diagnosed thirty accounts that once published false information about vaccines, and now provide false content about access to fuel in Poland and Russia’s attack on Ukraine. „In the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, on Facebook, dynamic mechanical distribution of content regarding possible fuel shortages takes place among groups skeptic about COVID vaccinations,” the Institute said.