Polish Briefing: Environmentalists attack a floating gas terminal in Poland | The fate of the PGNiG licenses after the merger with Orlen is known

What goes on in Poland on the 10th of June.

Environmentalists attack a floating gas terminal in Poland

An environmental organization Laboratory for All Beings warns that the floating LNG terminal in Poland, i.e. the so-called The FSRU is unnecessary to abandon Russia’s gas, and it will bind the country to fossil fuels for longer.

– The long-term use of fossil gas is a crime in the context of the climate crisis and runs counter to the goals of the Paris Agreement. Instead of expanding its LNG infrastructure, Europe should seize the present moment of pressure to move away from Russian hydrocarbons to move away from fossil fuels once and for all. Methane is evaporated throughout the gas supply chain, and the process of cooling and transporting this fuel is energy-intensive and pollutes the environment. The International Energy Agency makes it clear that if we want to achieve zero net emissions by 2050, no new fossil fuel extraction projects can be created – says Nawojka Ciborska representing the Gastivists Polska social movement.

It is worth recalling that FSRU terminals are leased and can be returned when they are not needed. It is for this reason that Germany wants to have as many as four such units, with the reservation that they will get rid of them when they are no longer needed. The position of Pracownia is another blow to the diversification of gas supplies in Europe after ClientEarth’s critical position towards the Baltic Pipe project and other similar projects from the EU list of Projects of Common Interest.

The fate of the PGNiG licenses after the merger with Orlen is known

The Sejm rejected the Senate’s objection to the amendment to the special act on the LNG terminal. It provides that after the merger of PKN Orlen and PGNiG, exploration and production licenses may be transferred to a new entity. 228 MPs voted to reject the Senate’s veto, 212 were against, 11 abstained.

The law, which will now be sent to the president, assumes that the legal successors of PGNiG will be able to carry out investments in the LNG terminal in Świnoujście. It also provides for the possibility of transferring the exploration and production concessions obtained by PGNiG to other entities.

According to the applicants, this is related to PKN Orlen’s plans to take over PGNiG. They pointed out that PGNiG holds 250 licenses, which would mean, in the event of issuing new ones, having to spend 13.5 thousand licenses. administrative decisions and acts related to licensing activities.