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The media wrongly circulates the thesis that Poland wants to do the deal Baltic Pipe for renewable energy – writes Wojciech Jakóbik, editor-in-chief of BiznesAlert.pl.
The Polish-Danish conference in Copenhagen was entirely devoted to the promotion of the arguments for the Baltic Pipe gas pipeline. Nevertheless, the media came up with a thesis that it was about encouraging the Danes to invest in the prospect of investing in the Polish wind farm sector at sea. In the text about the offensive of the Baltic Pipe, I explained why Poland had to show a green face at the conference. The Danish government is already involved in the Baltic Pipe and it is not necessary to convince it, but Danish society opting for the development of clean energy can perceive the new gas pipeline as another solution using “dirty” fossil fuels.
That is why the minister of energy Krzysztof Tchórzewski and the government plenipotentiary for strategic energy infrastructure Piotr Naimski explained that Baltic Pipe will in fact contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions in Poland and safe transformation using gas and Renewable Energy Sources. The Poles admitted that their energy transformation will be evolutionary due to the important role of coal, but safe thanks to Baltic Pipe, which will provide a stable source of supply.
– The availability of new sources and gas as a commodity, not an instrument of political pressure as in relations with Russia, will allow it to be used as an important element of our economy. Although it is a fossil fuel, it will allow us to reduce the emission of the economy and thus be an effective tool for the fight for clean air – said Tchórzewski.
In this way, the Poles presented the Baltic Pipe project to the Danish public as a tool for energy transformation, all on the eve of COP24 in Katowice. The one who attended the Copenhagen conference could observe how much attention of Danish journalists caught this aspect, not the energy security of their Polish colleagues.
The Danes have articulated clearly what Baltic Pipe will do for them. The increased use of the Danish transmission network will reduce tariffs, which will increase the profitability of biogas supplies. Denmark currently has six biogas plants, next year it will have seven. Deliveries from them are to complement the falling domestic production. In this way, the Danes will obtain gas from RES and not dirty fossil fuels, which thanks to Baltic Pipe will be more profitable. This is a clear business argument for participating in the project. In addition, it is also access to the gas market in Norway and Poland, which will translate into a drop in prices and a better offer for Danes.
Although the Norwegian Gassco was not active in the discussion, after asking me about the role of this operator, his representatives hurried to convince me that Norwegians are aboard the Baltic Pipe project, because the gas market in Poland has growth prospects. Statoil representatives spoke openly about it in 2015. This perspective was provided by Naimski’s representative, who assured that several new gas blocks will be built in the areas of RES concentration in the country in order to stabilize them. – We want to build a series of gas blocks – he assured. – We will not switch to gas, we will remain coal-based Poland – he assured.
He admitted that there is a potential for wind energy at sea in Poland. – By 2025-30 there will be a place for 10 GW wind farms close to the Polish coast. Our transmission network operator is working on a possible transmission network at sea near Poland, which will be able to connect all interested parties in the Baltic Sea. We need such a network. The Danes are interested, the Swedes too. Why not do it? – asked the attorney.
The condition of Denmark’s involvement in Polish offshore was set by the president of Orsted, the former DONG. When asked about concessions in the Baltic Sea, I replied that they are attractive, but to get involved, the company would have to know “how they will be included in energy supply in Poland”. This means that required by the European Commission by the end of the year. When the Poles declare themselves, the Danes will be able to risk their investments.
Therefore, there are no views on the RES system for Baltic Pipe, because the parties are involved in the new gas pipeline for many other important reasons now. In fact, however, there is the potential to deepen Polish-Danish cooperation, with a good start being the bus from Norway. Poles could cooperate with the Danish at RES, but not only. – We want to have a new industry sector in Poland. That is why we are interested in the latest technologies of batteries and other components of electrified transport. It is a great niche for cooperation – said Piotr Naimski in Copenhagen.
