Poland will become independent from Russian gas by the end of 2022, a government official said on Tuesday.

Piotr Naimski, the Polish government's pointman on strategic energy infrastructure, said Poland would stop buying Russian gas after its long-term supply contract with Russia’s Gazprom expires in 2022.

“Poland will not extend the contract,” Naimski told public broadcaster Polish Radio.

Instead “new possibilities will appear,” Naimski said, naming the Baltic Pipe, a planned new pipeline that will link Poland with Norway via Denmark as part of Warsaw’s efforts to diversify gas supplies.

Poland will also seek to diversify supplies by signing new contracts for the purchase of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States and Qatar, Naimski said.

Work to build the new Baltic Pipe gas link is due to start next year and end by October 1, 2022, Polish Radio’s IAR news agency has reported.

(gs/pk)

Source: IAR