Poland is in talks with the US to import more LNG to supply Ukraine and Slovakia

Two sources familiar with negotiations say that Poland is working to secure a deal for the import of liquefied gas from the U.S. in order to supply Ukraine and Slovakia. This agreement would strengthen the European Union's relationship with American energy.

The Polish Energy Ministry confirmed the talks late Wednesday night. "We're working with our partners, Americans, Slovaks and Ukrainians, on the possibility of importing American Gas to boost energy security in our region."

One source said that officials expect to announce a declaration jointly boosting imports following a meeting between the parties during a transatlantic conference on energy in Athens this week.

One of the sources said that "after that, discussions will follow about terms for supplies to Slovakia". Sources said that the potential volumes of gas to be transported south via Poland could reach 4 to 5 billion cubic metres per year. This is about the same amount as Slovakia's annual consumption.

The deal is the latest of many energy agreements that have been struck between European government officials and U.S. companies in response to Washington's push to increase exports of American nuclear and gas technology.

The U.S. Department of Energy didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment.

A U.S. official said, "We haven't fully taken advantage of this historic opportunity to move Europe away from Russian energy and towards American." Now the administration is moving full speed and there's been a shift. This could be the final push, and we could see a major shift in the way Europe obtains its energy.

Last month, the EU announced new plans to stop buying Russian gas and oil. A fresh set of sanctions will ban Russian LNG imports until 2027.

Some EU members still purchase Russian energy while supporting Ukraine's war. Slovakia and Hungary have tried to strike a balance between being Washington's allies and importing Russian oil, which has been criticized by U.S. president Donald Trump.

Former diplomats claim that U.S. Energy Sec. Chris Wright privately sent European Ministers in September "a very clear message about America's commitment to Europe and its interest in doing more together."

In the same week, U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who met with Italy's Energy Minister, pledged to strengthen ties by increasing U.S. Liquefied Gas sales. Two days later Italian utility Edison signed a 15-year deal to supply the liquefied gases.

Wright met with Polish and Slovak representatives in Vienna, the following week. On October 7, Slovakia and the U.S. signed an agreement for a new nucleopower plant.

This year, the EU has reached a new high in its use of LNG. The U.S. now supplies about 55%, up from just 27% as recently as 2021. Calculations show that if all Russian gas was replaced with American LNG, this figure would rise to more than 80%. (Reporting from Marek Strzelecki and Anna Hirtenstein, both in Warsaw; additional reporting from Timothy Gardner; editing done by Mark Heinrich and Alexandra Hudson.)

(source: Reuters)