- Title: New Poland-Lithuania gas link 'extra safeguard', EU energy commissioner says
- Date: 5th May 2022
- Summary: JAUNIUNAI, LITHUANIA (MAY 5, 2022) (REUTERS) (LEFT TO RIGHT) LATVIAN PRESIDENT, EGILS LEVITS, LITHUANIAN PRESIDENT, GITANAS NAUSEDA, POLISH PRESIDENT, ANDRZEJ DUDA, AND EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER FOR ENERGY, KADRI SIMSON, DURING CEREMONY TO SYMBOLICALLY LAUNCH OPERATION OF GAS INTERCONNECTOR POLAND-LITHUANIA (GIPL) LEVITS, NAUSEDA, DUDA AND SIMSON PUSHING BUTTON SIMSON SPEAKING FROM LECTERN (SOUNDBITE) (English) EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER FOR ENERGY, KADRI SIMSON, SAYING: "It's (GIPL) also an extra safeguard at a time when energy security is on everyone's mind. Because of the exceptional foresight that Poland and Lithuania had in working together on this project, finalising the interconnection could not have come on a better time. The Russian war in Ukraine has made us all reconsider our strengths and vulnerabilities when it comes to energy. Gazprom's decision to suspend the gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria marks another turning point in the current crisis. This is the latest attempt to use energy as a tool of blackmail." DUDA SPEAKING FROM LECTERN (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) POLISH PRESIDENT, ANDRZEJ DUDA, SAYING: "Thanks to the efforts of all those who built this gas link and those who are today building other gas connections, we calmly accepted Russia's information that there would not be direct gas supplies from Russia to Poland, that we are in a position to manage (this), it was not possible to frighten or blackmail us." LEVITS, NAUSEDA, DUDA AND SIMSON AND MINISTERS POSING FOR FAMILY PHOTO VARIOUS OF GIPL GIPL PIPES, POLISH, LITHUANIAN, LATVIAN AND EU FLAGS FLYING IN BACKGROUND NAUSEDA AND DUDA LISTENING DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) LITHUANIAN PRESIDENT, GITANAS NAUSEDA, SAYING: "I think this project is very important part to improve our independence, increase our independence from the supply of Russian energy resources, but if we are talking about the gas of course we have to keep in mind that interconnections are only the part of the solution, only a part of the solution to the problem (of dependence on Russian energy)." LEVITS SPEAKING DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) LATVIAN PRESIDENT, EGILS LEVITS, SAYING: "You asked concerning embargo of European Union on Russian gas and Russian oil. We in Latvia and I think also Lithuania and Poland also we are supporting this idea. We are pushing, but we know that it is not possible (to change supplies) from one day to another day, but we can see that there is already a huge progress." LEVITS, NAUSEDA AND DUDA SHAKING HANDS WITH SIMSON VARIOUS OF GIPL GAS VALVE VARIOUS OF GIPL PIPES INCUKALNS, LATVIA (MAY 5, 2022) (REUTERS) PIPES SEEN AT ONE OF THE LARGEST GAS STORAGE FACILITIES IN EUROPE WORKER WALKING PAST PIPES PIPES AT GAS STORAGE STICKER ON PIPE READING (English): "CH4 (METHANE)" PIPES GOING INTO GROUND WHEEL OF GAS VALVE PIPE GOING INTO GROUND VARIOUS OF GAS PIPES AND VALVES
- Embargoed: 19th May 2022 13:25
- Keywords: Andzej Duda Egils Levits Gas pipeline Gitanas Nauseda Kadri Simson gas imports from Russia gas storage gas supplies launch ceremony
- Location: JAUNIUNAI, LITHUANIA / INCUKALNS, LATVIA
- City: JAUNIUNAI, LITHUANIA / INCUKALNS, LATVIA
- Country: Lithuania
- Topics: Europe,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001589605052022RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A new gas link between Poland and Lithuania is an "extra safeguard" for the EU's energy security against the background of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, one of the bloc's top officials said on Thursday during the new connection's inauguration.
EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said the Russian invasion had prompted all members to consider their strong and weak points in regards to energy, and said Gazprom's ban on gas exports to Poland and Bulgaria last week was "the latest attempt to use energy as a tool of blackmail".
Polish President Andrzej Duda said thanks to the new Gas Interconnector Poland-Lithuania (GIPL) link his country had been able to respond calmly to Gazprom's halt on gas supplies over Poland's refusal to pay for gas in roubles. "It was not possible to frighten or blackmail us" Duda said.
The GIPL, which began operating on May 1 according to the European Commission, will have the capacity to transport around the 2 billion cubic metres of gas between Lithuania and Poland when fully operational later this year.
Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda said the GIPL was an important way to increase the region's energy independence, but cautioned such interconnectors were only a part of the solution to reduce reliance on Russian energy.
Latvia's President Egils Levits said his country and Poland and Lithuania supported proposed EU bans on Russian oil and gas but said changing ENERGY supplies would not be a quick process.
The GIPL gives the region access to continental gas pipelines and more energy sources and ends "the long-lasting gas isolation of the Baltic Sea region" according to the European Commission.
Once ruled from Moscow but now part of NATO and the EU, the region gets its pipeline natural gas from Russia and imports liquified natural gas (LNG) from a terminal in Lithuania that was inaugurated in 2014.
(Production: Janis Laizans, Ints Kalnins, Lewis Macdonald) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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