GAZ-SYSTEM Signed Two Agreements Important for the Implementation of the FSRU Project in the Gulf of Gdańsk
On 12 October 2023, at Gdańsk Harbour Master Office, GAZ-SYSTEM – the Polish gas Transmission System Operator, signed agreements with the Maritime Office in Gdynia and with the Port of Gdańsk Authority S.A. on cooperation in the implementation of a project that is strategic for the security of Poland – the FSRU Terminal in the Gulf of Gdańsk.
– It is the government's mission to strengthen the country's energy security by consistently expanding access to competitive and alternative energy sources. The Polish economy is growing rapidly and needs modern and efficient technologies. GAZ-SYSTEM's investment in the Gulf of Gdańsk – the FSRU Terminal – is a response to the market needs not only domestically, but also in Central and Eastern Europe. I want to emphasise that in order to implement this project that is so important for Poland, shared understanding of the goal and cooperation of many authorities and institutions are essential – and the agreements signed today are their expression – said Anna Łukaszewska-Trzeciakowska, Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure.
– I would like to thank the Maritime Office in Gdynia and the Port of Gdańsk Authority for making their binding declarations on cooperation in the implementation of this project which is so crucial for the country's economic security. Poland needs the FSRU Terminal because it will enable LNG import from across the globe. The Terminal’s capacity will satisfy over 30% of the domestic demand. FSRU will accelerate Poland's internal development and strengthen the economic position of our country in the region by creating a gas hub to meet the needs of the neighbouring countries – said Marcin Chludziński, President of GAZ-SYSTEM.
– The infrastructure built as part of this project will promote further development of the Port of Gdańsk. The entire program is innovative, i.e. it adapts the existing harbour complex to the new needs associated with the location of the FSRU Terminal in the area. It fits in perfectly with the activities of the Maritime Office in Gdynia, which has been making the largest maritime hydrotechnical investments in decades. We are very pleased to be able to cooperate with GAZ-SYSTEM and the Port of Gdańsk Authority on the project that is of such importance for Poland – said Wiesław Piotrzkowski, Director of the Maritime Office in Gdynia.
– Signing the agreement with GAZ-SYSTEM is the final confirmation of the legitimacy of this, strategic from the point of view of national security, investment. I am confident that locating the FSRU Terminal in the waters within the administrative borders of our port is a good choice. It will certainly enhance the importance of this part of the coast on the economic map of the Baltic Sea. The Terminal will constitute an element of the gas import infrastructure that is important for Poland and the CEE region. And the role of the Port of Gdańsk as a place of strategic importance will increase even further – said Łukasz Malinowski, President of the Port of Gdańsk.
The FSRU Terminal’s construction in the Gulf of Gdańsk is currently GAZ-SYSTEM's most important project, which is being executed to complement investments of key importance for the diversification of supply and security of our country, such as the expansion of the President Lech Kaczyński LNG Terminal in Świnoujście, the construction of Baltic Pipe and gas interconnectors with Lithuania and Slovakia.
FSRU is yet another project that will accelerate the transition from carbon-intensive energy sources in the face of the country's ever-growing energy needs. The Renewable Energy Sources (RES), despite their dynamic development, do not guarantee a steady and stable energy supply, which creates space for natural gas to be used as a stabilising element in the system.
The Agreement between GAZ-SYSTEM and the Maritime Office in Gdynia provides for cooperation in dividing investment works during design and construction stages, including the definition of the project milestones. Each party to the agreement shall cover from its own resources the costs of constructing the infrastructure under its responsibility. GAZ-SYSTEM will be responsible for the construction of:
- infrastructure necessary to operate the FSRU Terminal, including hydrotechnical infrastructure,
- offshore gas pipeline (approx. 3 km in length), which will connect the FSRU Terminal with the national transmission system,
- onshore gas pipelines (approx. 250 km) Kolnik-Gdańsk, Gardeja-Kolnik and Gustorzyn-Gardeja.
- breakwater
- approach fairway to the lane connecting the northern tip of the south-eastern breakwater of Port Północny and the western tip of the planned FSRU breakwater,
- turning basin,
- aids to navigation associated with the access infrastructure.
The Agreement between GAZ-SYSTEM and Port of Gdańsk Authority states that the Port of Gdańsk Authority, as the entity managing the port infrastructure and its development, will play a supporting role during the design, preparatory and implementation stages of GAZ-SYSTEM's project. The cooperation includes support in obtaining all necessary decisions. The Port of Gdańsk Authority will be obliged to provide GAZ-SYSTEM with the utilities necessary for the project implementation, as separately agreed. At GAZ-SYSTEM's request, and to be separately agreed, the Port Authority will also make available the Port properties adjacent to the project areas. The Parties will also agree on the detailed principles for the use of the port quays and easements for transmission and vehicle and pedestrian passage necessary for the project execution.
The European Commission, under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), has granted funding to the LNG Gdańsk Project for the development of technical specifications and performance of engineering works. The maximum amount of the awarded grant is approx. EUR 19.6 million.
