What goes on in Poland on the 12th of December.
Those who have access to coal, should also have access to gas
According to the participants of PGNiG at the panel at COP24, the best solution for combating climate change is gasification, using unconventional gas, CCS and capturing methane from coal seams. Panel „Conventional and unconcentional gas destination for green economy” was led Scott Foster, director of the energy section of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
– We want the same customers who have access to coal to have access to gas. This best protects our situation and gives the customer a choice. The golden era of gas is ahead of us, or we are entering its heyday – said Piotr Woźniak, the CEO of PGNiG during the climate conference COP24.
Demand for gas is growing faster than anticipated in 2015. – It involves, among others with the need to improve the air quality. We want 90 percent of population in Poland had access to gas in 2022. Our investments in the gas network are worth a total of about $ 2 billion. Everyone should have a choice and equal access to various energy carriers, including gas. We want to follow the market and not impose policy on the market – he said.
New technologies
The next element of the activity is to look for gas in Poland. – We have over 2 000 wells that will provide oil and gas. We also successfully use hydraulic fracturing. We also use this technology in Pakistan. Gas from there will never be available in Poland, but it is a good testing ground for the work that we do at home and abroad. We want to extract our own gas as much as possible. Then the delivery conditions will be the most competitive. Our own fuel gives safe and competitive prices – assured Woźniak.
Olaf Martins, manager at the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers said that according to the data of the International Energy Agency, the demand for gas will rise up to 45 percent until to 2040. He stressed that gas has more advantages than disadvantages because it is a less emission fuel. He emphasized that already 40 percent of countries are importing LNG, and more and more shale gas is being extracted, not only in the US, but also in Argentina, which could export gas to Europe. He stressed that global commitments condition a 20 percent reduction in methane emissions, while the oil industry, oil and gas companies, are already taking into account the requirement to reduce methane emissions when extracting fuels. – You need to distinguish energy transformations, because each of them depends on a given country and has different starting points and methods of implementation – he said.