The announcement comes as Poland is working to reduce its dependence on Russian energy sources, which Moscow has sometimes used as a tool of political pressure on its partners.
In line with the provisions of the deal, PGNiG had sent Gazprom, which is controlled by the Russian state, notice that it will terminate the contract as of Dec. 31, 2022.
The finance and development minister, Jerzy Kwiecinski, said the intention is not solely to stop imports from Russia but to get fair terms.
“Everything will depend on the financial terms, but we cannot allow for the gas that we are buying (from Gazprom) to be one of the most expensive in the world,” Kwiecinski said.
Poland has repeatedly said that the financial terms of the Gazprom contract were unfavorable and that it was paying a higher price than others in Europe.
Poland uses some 14 billion cubic meters of gas a year. Under the contract with Gazprom, a “take-or-pay” clause meant it was obliged to import some 10 billion cubic meters of gas from Gazprom per year.
Alternative Sources
The efforts to reduce dependency include striking long-term contracts for deliveries of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States, Qatar, and other countries, as well as developing a new pipeline with Norway for deliveries from the North Sea. PGNiG holds shares in 27 exploration and production licenses on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Poland also has some gas deposits of its own.PGNiG said in a statement it’s contracted (LNG) supplies and acquisitions of gas deposits in the North Sea would guarantee the security of supplies after 2022.
