Today, in Świnoujście, a ceremony took place to mark the completion of the expansion of the LNG Terminal, attended by the Minister of Industry, Marzena Czarnecka. The event was also joined by the Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure, Wojciech Wrochna, and the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, Arkadiusz Marchewka.

“This investment has strategic significance for Poland because it strengthens the country’s energy security and independence. We are self-sufficient in gas. We no longer need to rely on our neighbors from the East,” said Czarnecka on Wednesday.

The Minister assured that the government of Donald Tusk will support all investments aimed at ensuring Poland’s energy independence.

The Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure, Wojciech Wrochna, emphasized that investments in energy infrastructure “are challenging, and their implementation takes time.” He reminded that the decision to build the LNG terminal in Świnoujście was made almost 20 years ago. Wrochna stressed that Poland’s energy security is one of the strategic goals of successive governments.

“Energy security has an economic dimension, but it also gives us independence in a political and military sense,” said Wrochna.

As part of the LNG Terminal expansion, a third liquefied gas tank was built (with a capacity of 180,000 m³), along with a new quay that allows for the docking, parking, loading, and unloading of smaller LNG tankers; a transshipment point for gas between tankers, and bunkering facilities for small vessels, such as tugboats, using LNG as fuel.

The opening ceremony of the new tank was also attended by the West Pomeranian Voivode, Adam Rudawski, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Arkadiusz Marchewka, and candidate for President of the KO (Civic Coalition) and Mayor of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski. Representatives from the Management Board of GAZ-SYSTEM, the LNG terminal operator, were also present.

The construction of the third tank was originally scheduled for completion by the end of 2023, so today’s ceremony took place with over a year’s delay. After the terminal’s expansion, its regasification capacity will increase from 6.1 billion cubic meters per year to 8.3 billion cubic meters. LNG tankers primarily arrive in Świnoujście from the USA and Qatar. In July last year, Gaz-System, which manages the LNG terminal and transmission network in the country, announced that 300 deliveries of liquefied gas had already been made.

The new LNG tank at the LNG Terminal was constructed by a consortium of companies PORR S.A. and TGE Gas Engineering GmbH. The tank will increase the terminal’s capacity for storing LNG. Additional unloading and loading stations for smaller LNG units, such as gas carriers, bunker vessels, and feeder vessels, will also be added.

The decision to build the Świnoujście LNG terminal was made in 2006. It was co-financed from the Infrastructure and Environment Operational Program and the European Energy Program for Recovery. The terminal’s current regasification capacity is 6.2 billion Nm³ per year. From the terminal’s inception in 2016 to mid-2024, the gas terminal has received a total of 23.6 million tons of LNG, with December of last year being the record-breaking month in this regard.