Poland: Minister Budzanowski Visits Swinoujscie LNG Terminal Site

The Minister of Treasury Mikołaj Budzanowski (Poland) visited, on 27 March 2013, the area of the investment that is crucial for the country’s energy security, the LNG terminal built in Świnoujście.

The Minister of Treasury Mikołaj Budzanowski checked the progress of the work, also talked about the situation of the consortium responsible for the construction of the LNG terminal.

“The pace of work on the construction of the LNG terminal in Świnoujście has clearly accelerated in recent months. Intensive work is in progress in all terminal facilities. In recent weeks, major works on the breakwater and wharf have been completed. I regularly supervise the progress of work on the site in all sectors, both on land and at sea. The work is advanced, and employment rose. In the time of crisis in August of last year, 300 employees worked at the construction site. At the moment there are about 1,000 people, which shows great determination of the contractors,” said Treasury Minister Mikołaj Budzanowski.

“Polskie LNG remains in constant contact with both the leader of the consortium, the Italian company Saipem, as well as the Polish company PBG. It also keeps track of the financial position of both companies, and the consortium agreement provides for joint and several liability of its members. The deadline for completion of the construction depends on the quality and precision of execution and proper supervision. Completion of the investment in 2014 is still realistic. It is an ambitious goal, given the external circumstances, such as the plight of some of the consortium members and the crisis in the construction market. So we closely monitor the situation to respond flexibly to the changing environment,” Minister Budzanowski added.

The Minister of Treasury also checked the progress of works at all the main facilities of the master project. In January, the first layer of the dome of the first LNG tanks was concreted, and in February, a similar operation was completed on the second tank. Currently, the second (final) layer of the domes is being concreted on both tanks. Inside the tanks, parallel assembly and welding works are in progress, as part of which this month, for instance, the installation and welding of a gas-tight system on the bottom of both tanks was completed. The construction of major buildings and trestle bridges for pipelines is underway.

More than 80% of the pipeline was installed as part of construction of the Szczecin-Świnoujście gas pipeline, so the project which complements the role and function of the LNG terminal.

The LNG terminal in Świnoujście will allow Poland to collect up to 5 billion m3 of natural gas annually, with the possible expansion up to 7.5 billion m3 (currently Poland consumes about 14 billion m3 of gas annually). The construction of the LNG terminal in Świnoujście is one of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe.

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LNG World News Staff, April 05, 2013; Image: Polskie LNG