Poland is gauging interest in the expansion of a floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal being built near Gdansk as more European players are interested in supplies via Poland, the country's gas pipeline operator Gaz-System said on Monday.
Gaz-System is building a terminal with a regasification capacity of 6.1 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas per year. In 2023, it dropped the plan to add a second floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU 2) amid lack of sufficient market interest.
The ban on Russian gas imports proposed by the European Commission in June opens new opportunities for member states and more European players are interested in LNG supplies via Poland, Gaz-System said.
"Confirmation of the need for additional LNG regasification capacity would constitute the basis for initiating the open season procedure in this matter," the company said in a statement.
In the non-binding procedure, market participants are set to declare the capacity they would use and which neighbouring markets gas would be shipped to. Ukraine has sourced several LNG shipments via Poland this year.
(Reporting by Marek Strzelecki; Editing by Susan Fenton)