Earthtimes.org
Energy Watch
07 February 2008
Poland declined to join the Nord Stream gas pipeline project and plans to offer Russia an alternative and a more economically beneficial project for building a gas pipeline to Europe, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was cited as saying by Interfax.
“Poland cannot block this project, but it will certainly not take part in it. It is too expensive,” Tusk said.
“Of course, Russia will make its decision without this opinion taken into account. But there is a question that the investors should ask themselves: Why build a gas pipeline twice, and some even think three times, as expensive? It looks like everybody is going to lose something on this,” he said.
“I don’t think the meeting in Moscow would lead to the settlement of this issue. But, before spending a lot of money, could it make sense to talk about the optimization of gas transportation to the West? It probably makes sense to compare the parties’ benefits and losses in the case of Nord Stream and in the case of the Amber project (a gas pipeline that, according to Poland’s proposal, should run from Russia to Europe through Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Poland),” he said.
“I can guarantee that Poland, with its interests taken into account, can be and will be a very good and responsible partner in possible future projects,” Tusk said.
The Polish premier said he might suggest during his talks in Moscow that a tripartite meeting with Germany be held to discuss energy projects in general and Nord Stream in particular.
