Poland’s PGNiG has imported another cargo of liquefied natural gas via the Klaipedos Nafta-operated FSRU-based facility in Lithuania’s port of Klaipeda, as it continues to boost LNG supplies to Poland.
The Polish firm received the first cargo via the 170,000-cbm FSRU Independence in May and after that took two more LNG cargoes in June, according to a statement on Friday.
This move follows the launch of Polish-Lithuanian gas pipeline interconnector GIPL on May 1.
PGNiG said the 147,980-cbm Arctic Princess, owned by Hoegh LNG and chartered by Equinor, delivered the latest cargo to Lithuania.
This is the third cargo in total and the second in June for PGNiG to land at the Lithuanian FSRU.
Arctic Princess delivered the shipment from Equinor’s Hammerfest LNG terminal in Norway. This 4.5 mtpa plant shipped its first cargo in June after a fire broke out at the facility in September 2020.
29 LNG cargoes
Besides the Lithuanian cargoes, PGNiG said it has continued with high LNG imports via Poland’s regasification facility in Swinoujscie in June.
The firm imported six cargoes via the country’s sole LNG import plant last month, following record six LNG cargoes in May.
Including both terminals, PGNiG took eight LNG cargoes in June and 29 shipments in January-June.
This marks a rise of over 60 percent when compared to the same period last year, according to PGNiG.
The rise in LNG imports is PGNiG’s response to the “continuing crisis” on the European gas market caused primarily by lower supplies from Russia, the firm said.
In April, Russia’s Gazprom had cut supplies to Poland via the Yamal pipeline.
PGNiG said the growth of LNG imports is possible due to the expansion of Gaz System’s facility in Swinoujscie, where the firm has booked a regasification capacity of 6.2 bcm per annum since this year. This is some 1.2 bcm more than before.
Thanks to further investments, the capacity will increase to 8.3 bcm of gas per year in 2024 while PGNiG has booked all of these volumes as well.