Polish Natural Gas Projects Threaten Gazprom’s Position in Central and Eastern Europe

Paulina Lang: Polish Natural Gas Projects Threaten Gazprom’s Position in Central and Eastern Europe

Polish state-owned natural gas pipeline network operator Gaz-System S.A. recently published its updated strategy for 2016–2025. A noteworthy new element in the document is the plan to create a natural gas hub in Poland, aimed at establishing a regional gas market in Central and Eastern Europe. If successful, it would provide regional countries with new sources of natural gas, thus creating an alternative to their dependency on Russian Gazprom, and undermining Moscow’s energy policy in the region. Thanks to investments in a liquefied natural gas port on the Baltic and ongoing construction of gas pipeline interconnectors, Poland will increasingly face market incentives to export more gas to its neighbors. While a closer business relationship with Ukraine, which owns large gas storage facilities, will help solidify the region as a secure, economically coherent energy market.http://www.jamestown.org/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=45504&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=228&cHash=6d406b346ed8223295d5eda584728442#.V2afUY6XQkh