PGNiG: Polish LNG Import Jumps Up

LNG imports to Poland via the Świnoujście LNG Terminal  keep rising and stood at 3.4 billion cubic metres in 2019 after regasification, up from 2.7 bcm the year before.

"The first quarter of 2020 will see peak activity in terms of LNG deliveries. By the end of March this year alone we are to receive ten cargoes coming in from different directions,” said Jerzy Kwieciński, President of the PGNIG S.A. Management Board.

The long-term take-or-pay contract with Gazprom via the Yamal pipeline means Russia is still Poland’s dominant supplier. However, the contract expires in 2022.

“With respect to natural gas supplies from Russia we are bound by the ‘take or pay’ clause in the Yamal contract, which means that we have to collect from Gazprom at least 8.7 billion cubic meters of gas per year. This will continue until the end of 2022, when the Yamal contract expires,” Kwieciński added.

In 2019, PGNiG brought 3.43 billion cubic metres of liquefied natural gas into Poland, over one-fourth more than a year earlier. LNG imports from the US, Qatar and Norway increased by about 0.7 billion cubic meters (after regasification) on 2018. Imports from Russia amounted to 8.95 billion cubic meters in 2019, compared with 9.04 billion cubic metres a year earlier.

Consequently, natural gas from Russia accounted for 60.2% of PGNiG’s total imports in 2019, which means a 6.6pp drop, with LNG imports having risen 3pp, to 23.1%. The remaining share of imports was gas sourced from countries west and south of Poland. This marks a clear shift towards diversification of natural gas supplies for Polish consumers. Back in 2016, Russian gas represented close to 89% of total imports, but the following years saw supplies from Russia fall steadily, with a simultaneous growth in LNG imports. PGNiG’s total gas imports reached 14.85 billion cubic meters in 2019, about 1.32 billion cubic meters more than the year before.

In 2019, PGNiG received 31 LNG deliveries to Poland, compared with 23 a year earlier. The number of cargoes purchased under short-term, or spot, contracts increased from 4 to 10 during that period. The first shipment of US LNG has arrived in Poland under a long-term contract with Cheniere Energy, with the annual volumes of deliveries under the contract set to rise in the coming years. The contracts signed for US LNG will add some 9.3 billion cubic metres (after regasification) of gas per year to PGNiG’s portfolio in 2024–2042. From 2020 onwards, annual LNG imports from Qatar will amount to approximately 2.7 billion cubic meters (after regasification).

In addition to expanding its LNG portfolio, Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo is making preparations to start supplying Polish customers with gas from the Norwegian Continental Shelf, which is to be carried via the Baltic Pipe through the North Sea, Denmark and the Baltic Sea, starting in late 2022.