Poland’s Orlen signs agreement to supply gas to Ukraine

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Poland’s Orlen has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ukraine’s Naftogaz for the Polish state energy giant to supply Ukraine with gas.

The purpose of the agreement “is to strengthen cooperation enabling the bolstering of Ukraine’s energy security by diversifying the sources and directions of gas supplies to this country”, said Orlen in a statement announcing the deal.

The arrangement will begin with a delivery of around 100 million cubic metres of gas. But Orlen’s vice president for operations, Robert Soszyński, emphasised that the two firms are planning “long-term and mutually beneficial cooperation…based on commercial terms”.

The first delivery will arrive as liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the Klaipėda terminal in Lithuania before being transported via the GIPL pipeline through Poland to the Drozdovychi interconnector in Ukraine, where Naftogaz will receive it.

“Ukraine has a solid gas transportation system and the largest underground storage facilities in Europe, offering unique opportunities for the development of the LNG market,” said Roman Chumak, Naftogaz’s acting chairman.

“The partnership with Orlen strengthens energy security, diversifies supplies and accelerates Ukraine’s integration with the European gas market,” he added.

The agreement comes after Ukraine halted all Russian gas transit through its territory on 1 January 2025 and amid continued Russian attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure.

Bloomberg news agency reported earlier this week that Ukraine is currently seeking to step up gas imports, citing an anonymous official saying that the country needs around 3.5 billion cubic metres for the next heating season.

In February alone, Ukraine imported 560 million cubic metres of gas, notes Bloomberg, compared to the 700 million purchased for the entire 2023 heating season.

According to the news agency, the ongoing standoff between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump could heighten Ukraine’s vulnerability to Russian attacks, worsening concerns about energy supplies.

Poland itself has long sought to reduce its reliance on Russian energy imports and those efforts were accelerated after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Warsaw has invested heavily in infrastructure, including the construction of the Baltic Pipe, which brings gas from Norway to Poland, and the expansion of its LNG terminal in Świnoujście.

Poland is planning to build a second LNG terminal in the port of Gdańsk, which is also expected to supply neighbouring Ukraine, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main image credit: Orlen press pack

Alicja Ptak

Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She previously worked for Reuters.