With environmental decision in place, GAZ-SYSTEM set to proceed with Gdańsk FSRU project

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Home Liquefied Natural Gas With environmental decision in place, GAZ-SYSTEM set to proceed with Gdańsk FSRU project

February 16, 2024,
by

Ajsa Habibic

Poland’s natural gas transmission system operator GAZ-SYSTEM has received a decision on the environmental conditions from the Regional Director for Environmental Protection in Gdańsk for the implementation of the FSRU terminal with a subsea gas pipeline at the Port of Gdańsk.

Archive; Courtesy of GAZ-SYSTEM

According to GAZ-SYSTEM, the decision is immediately enforceable, enabling the company to proceed with further activities necessary to implement this project.

The company explained it will carry out a number of activities to reduce the impact of the construction and operation of the FSRU terminal on the natural environment, including the trenchless crossing of the Stogi beach by the gas pipeline connecting the FSRU terminal with the mainland.

Moreover, the subsea part of the gas pipeline will be laid under the bottom of the bay, and the technological quay itself will be located approximately 3 kilometers from the shore, right next to the waterway leading to the Northern Port. Thanks to this, the terminal’s impact on the landscape and potential noise will be minimal.

GAZ-SYSTEM added that the construction and operation of the FSRU infrastructure will not affect the availability of the waters of the Bay of Gdańsk for sailors using the marina in Górki Zachodnie.

The procedure for issuing a decision on the environmental conditions for the implementation of this project, conducted by the RDOŚ in Gdańsk, took into account public consultations organized at the end of 2023, in parallel by the RDOŚ and GAZ-SYSTEM.

“I would like to thank the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection in Gdańsk for the efficient issuance of a decision on environmental conditions for the FSRU terminal, which defines the conditions for carrying out the investment and is a necessary basis for efforts to issue a location decision,” said Sławomir Hinc, President of the Management Board of GAZ-SYSTEM.

“We implement our projects by balancing technological and natural issues. Reducing the impact on the natural environment is a priority for all investments, especially those carried out in areas as naturally valuable as the Bay of Gdańsk. Therefore, we will make every effort to reduce as much as possible the impact of the FSRU terminal and the offshore gas pipeline on the environment and preserve the landscape values of this place.”

The Gdańsk FSRU project has the status of a ‘Project of Community Interest’ with the financial support of the European Commission (EC) for pre-investment works for the offshore part of the project.

It is Poland’s first such project and is seen as a strategically important piece of energy infrastructure that will enhance the country’s energy security.

FSRU will be delivered by Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) which was selected as the preferred shipowner. The FSRU is estimated to be capable of regasification of 6.1 bcm of gaseous fuel per year, and GAZ-SYSTEM has already signed the agreement covering the entire regasification capacity of the unit.

The construction of onshore gas pipelines is expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2024, but no later than the first quarter of 2025.

The commissioning of the complete project is planned for 2027/2028.