WARSAW — Poland has more than doubled the capacity of a link able to carry gas from the West in its drive to diversify supplies and reduce dependence on its main supplier, Russia, Polish gas operator Gaz-System said on Wednesday.
Eastern Europe's biggest economy opened its first gas link from the West in April capable of transporting supplies from Germany to help guard against potential cuts of Russian deliveries as the crisis in Ukraine escalated.
The reverse flow link along the Yamal pipeline through a pumping station in the German town of Mallnow was also seen as part of wider European Union efforts to build new links and infrastructure to ensure security of supply.
The expansion of the pumping station at Mallnow increased capacity of the reverse flow link to 5.5 billion cubic meters (bcm) annually from 2.3 bcm annually.
Poland consumes around 16 bcm of gas annually, most of which comes from Russia's Gazprom.
Central and eastern European countries including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Austria have all made recent strides to build new gas links with each other and to improve reverse flows.
Building new links and upgrading infrastructure to enable reverse flows has gained renewed focus in the EU following a contract dispute between Moscow and Kiev in 2009 that stopped gas flows via Ukraine to much of central and southeastern Europe in the middle of winter.
Warsaw is also planning to open a liquified natural gas terminal later this year on the Baltic Sea to further ease reliance on Russian imports.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.