WARSAW, June 17 (Reuters) – Poland obtained its first provides of liquefied pure fuel (LNG) from Qatar on Friday, a part of a wider plan to chop its reliance on Russian fuel.

Poland at the moment buys the majority of its fuel from Russia’s Gazprom however just lately accomplished an LNG terminal at Swinoujscie on the Baltic Sea and plans to construct a pipeline to Norway to diversify its imports. It additionally goals to turn into a regional fuel buying and selling hub.

The Al-Nuaman vessel, with 206,000 cubic metres of LNG, arrived from Qatar at Swinoujscie port a number of hours later than deliberate because of stormy climate, fuel grid operator Gaz-System mentioned.

The supply is the primary that Qatargas will present to Polish state-run fuel agency PGNiG beneath a long-term deal signed in 2009.

PGNiG mentioned 206,000 cubic metres of fuel was enough for all Polish households to organize dinner on fuel cookers for 3 months.

Qatargas’s subsequent supply is deliberate for mid-July, adopted by one cargo a month within the second half of the yr. Poland will import 1.3 billion cubic metres of LNG from Qatar yearly.

The Swinoujscie terminal was constructed at a price of round 3 billion zlotys ($760 million) and has a capability of 5 bcm a yr, or round a 3rd of Poland’s fuel consumption.

PGNiG mentioned it would regularly complement its long-term Qatargas contract with spot provides with the intention to additional diversify its fuel portfolio. The first spot provide is due from Norway’s Statoil on July 25.

Poland will ramp up imports from Norway as soon as a deliberate pipeline is accomplished by 2022. ($1 = 3.9487 zlotys) (Reporting by Agnieszka Barteczko; Editing by Susan Fenton)

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