The National Scientific Conference „Safety, Regulation and Competition on the Energy Market” under the patronage of BiznesAlert.pl is underway in Łódź. Maciej Małecki, president of the Parliamentary Committee for Energy and State Treasury, stressed the need to further diversify gas supplies, which will help break the gas dependence on the „gangster state”, what Russia turned out to be after the attempted murder of the former spy.
MP Maciej Małecki said that energy regulations should allow access to energy carriers at an acceptable price. – We need to be independent from gas supplies from Russia to allow free competition. A few years ago, the Azoty Group was intended for privatization, and the Russians were interested in buying it. This was blocked, but if it was not, then Azoty could conclude a gas supply contract with Gazprom. Azoty uses annually about 20 percent of gas consumed by Poland. PGNiG would have been left alone with this gas under the „take or pay” clause, which it should acquire according to the Yamal contract, he reminded.
He added that the LNG terminal in Świnoujście, which is to be expanded to 7,5 billion cubic meters capacity per year, is to be part of the Northern Gate together with the Baltic Pipe gas pipeline, whose annual capacity is to amount to 10 billion cubic meters. – This will allow us to buy gas from our partners who are willing or indifferent to us, and want to trade on market conditions – said Małecki.
Małecki argued that the inclusion of the contested Nord Stream 2 with the third energy package, ie forcing the separation of the operator from the supplier, would end with the fiasco of the investment because it is a political project. – In case of Nord Stream 2, where Russia’s and Germany’s interests are at stake, there is no European solidarity. The SOS Regulation is a success, giving priority to deliveries to neighbors in the event of gas crises. Without these regulations, gas would go to the gas storage in Germany sooner rather than from Germany to Poland – reminded Małecki.
– Poland has so far been dependent on the gangster state that Russia has emerged after a chemical attack in another country – said Maciej Małecki. – If the Yamal contract was extended for the following years, as planned in 2010, until the 1930s, then Poland would not be a sovereign country – he concluded.
Regarding the needs of energy regulation, he stressed that without them, Baltic Pipe projects would not have been possible. As another example, he presented the energy, fuel and transport package, which allowed for additional revenues to the budget in the amount of 2-3,5 billion cubic meters, and the turnover of fuel increased by 18 percent.