IRB, the company founded by Aleksander Gudzowaty, the owner of Bartimpex and E.ON Ruhrgas have so far failed to get access to the gas market. In May, it may change. The company is going to receive permission to build Bernau-Szczecin pipeline.
“This is just the beginning of the project. We will have to find funds for it. We take into account investing from our own funds and taking a credit”, Jan Antosik, Bartimpex member of the board said.
The company estimates that it will cost several hundreds million zloty to build 108km of pipeline. “In the first stage, it is supposed to deliver 2 billion cubic meters of gas annually, depending on the demand”, Jan Antosik said.
PGNiG explores over 4.3 billion cubic meters of gas annually. Bartimpex estimates that it will take 1.5-2 years to build the pipeline.
The project has small chances unless IRB copperates with Gaz System, the operator of pipelines in Poland and PGNiG, the potential client.
“We want to make another offer to PGNiG and Gaz System for cooperation. They might be offered stock in IRB and Gazociag Szczecinski, the company founded to build the pipeline”, Jan Antosik said. However, Bartimpex and Ruhrgas would still control the pipeline.
“If Bartimpex has any offers, it should present them to us and we will take a stance. To us, projects offering real diversification of gas deliveries are priorities”, Tomasz Fill, PGNiG spokesman said. Bartimpex believes that the talks could be started at the end of May and beginning of June.