2016-01-17 14:55:00
NORD STREAM'S EXTENSION
The plan to build a new gas pipeline linking Russia with Germany is politically motivated and will deepen European Union's reliance on gas deliveries from Russia, the Polish energy minister said on Friday.
Krzysztof Tchorzewski was speaking after a meeting with EU Climate and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete, who he said agreed with that view.
Known as Nord Stream 2, the pipeline would be an extension of the existing link, that would enable Russia to deliver increased volumes of gas straight to Germany.
Russia's Gazprom and a group of European companies agreed on the project last year, raising protests mostly among central and southern European countries.
"The two sides agreed that the project has no business ground and is carried out only due to political reasons," the Polish Energy Ministry said in a statement following the visit of Miguel Arias Canete.
Polish Energy Minister Krzysztof Tchorzewski also said that Poland expects the European Commission to publish as soon as possible the draft of a gas winter package.
Lat year Russia, Ukraine and the Commission initialled a deal on a so-called "winter package", to secure winter gas supplies for Kiev.
The minister also told Arias Canete that Poland is ready to talk with the Baltic states on power markets integration. Poland's electricity market is one of the most isolated in the EU.
Tchorzewski also asked Arias Canete for support in launching flow-based cross-border capacity calculations, that would help prevent the so called loop flows of electricity generated from renewable sources in Germany to Poland, which limit the latter's import capacities.
-----
More:
NORD STREAM II: PRAGMATIC SOLUTION
