Government Plenipotentiary for strategic energy infrastructure Piotr Naimski was interviewed by the Czech newspaper Česká Pozice. He talked about Polish energy policy, plans of building the Baltic Pipe gas pipeline and energy cooperation in the Central and Eastern Europe region.
Energy strategy
He announced that the draft of the Polish energy policy is almost ready and the Minister of Energy Krzysztof Tchórzewski unofficially announced its elements. The subject of the role of coal in the Polish mix was discussed as well. – We will need coal for the next thirty years. New carbon, low-emission and efficient blocks are being created. The European Commission knows everything that we are doing – said Naimski. He also announced that in 2050, coal will be half of the Polish energy mix, the rest will be divided equally between nuclear energy and RES.
Baltic Pipe
Naimski also talked about the Polish-Danish-Norwegian Baltic Pipe project. He stressed that the contract with Gazprom ends in 2022 and if the new gas pipeline will have been launched until then, there will be no need to extend the contract with the Russians. He also said that the consensus of the government and opposition in terms of diversification activities is a proof of maturity of the Polish state. – I am convinced that in 2019 Baltic Pipe will be in such advanced state that it will be able to be completed in the next term, either by us or our successors – he said.
Interconnectors
The Batic Pipe project is to coordinate the construction of interconnectors with Lithuania, Ukraine, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, which will strengthen the energy security of the region. – On many occasions, gas supplies from Russia have been used as an element of blackmailing, for example towards Ukraine. Therefore, in order to ensure our safety, we want to have supplies from various sources – said a representative of the government.
Česká Pozice