Gazprom and EuRoPol Gaz sign Yamal pipeline memo

Photo: gazprom.com

Russian state company Gazprom and EuRoPol Gaz (48 percent of which is owned by Gazprom, and 48 percent by Poland's state-owned PGNiG) approved a prospective six-month study that will look into the feasibility of the project, as reported by Russian news agency RIA Novosti.

Gazprom had announced earlier this week that Russia is aiming to revive the abandoned Yamal 2 project.

The first Yamal pipeline runs through Belarus and Poland to the German border, with the latter sections completed in 1999. EuRoPol Gaz owns and operates the Polish section.

Poland initially rejected a second branch, citing a need to diversify it energy sources, a policy which the current centre-right government has also pursued.

Earlier this week, Poland's Treasury Minister Mikolaj Budzanowski responded with caution to a potential revival of Yamal 2, arguing that “the European Union does not need more supplies of natural gas from Russia."

However, Economy Minister Janusz Piechocinski stressed that while Poland should be “very careful”, he argued that if Poland has the possibility of being a transit country, then Warsaw should “express a lot of interest, as we would earn on this.”

According to Gazprom, 15 million cubic metres of gas could be exported per year via Yamal 2.

Piechocinski is due to meet chairman of Gazprom Alexey Miller today in St.Petersburg, to discuss the project. (nh)

Source: IAR/RIA Novosti/ Gazprom