Poland's goal of reducing its dependence on Russian gas took a step forward Thursday after it secured the final investments to start construction of its first liquefied natural gas terminal, expected to start importing gas from Qatar in 2014.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said it gave a 75 million euro ($96.76 million) loan to Polish gas grid operator Gaz-System to build the terminal.
The facility will give Poland and its landlocked neighbors in central and eastern Europe access to the global LNG market, an alternative to gas supplied via pipelines from Gazprom.
"What this project really represents is a choice for Poland to receive one-third of its gas from a country other than Russia for the first time," said Ricardo Puliti, the EBRD's managing director for energy and natural resources.
(Reuters)
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