Poland takes the gas infrastructure of Novatek’s subsidiary

Energy producer Novatek has been ordered to hand over its transmission infrastructure to the country’s state-owned firms

Warsaw has obliged the Polish subsidiary of the Russian energy giant Novatek to transfer its gas infrastructure to the nation’s state companies, Government Spokesperson Piotr Müller said on Friday. Novatek, which is on Poland’s sanctions list, on Thursday stopped gas supplies to some of the country’s regions.

“Today Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki requested state companies PGNiG, PSG, and Gaz-System to immediately supply gas to grids formally owned by Novatek, on the basis of the crisis management law,” Müller said.

He added that by the order of the prime minister, Novatek’s subsidiary Novatek Green Energy is obliged to transfer the networks to those companies, which will then supply gas to the cut-off municipalities.

According to the spokesperson, the transfer process will start immediately. “It all depends, of course, on whether there will be resistance from Novatek and its employees. If it is such, then in accordance with the law on anti-crisis management, we can apply coercive means,” Müller explained.

On Thursday, Polish authorities said that several dozen municipalities had been left without liquefied gas after sanctions-hit Novatek suspended supplies. Poland had earlier imposed sanctions on 50 Russian legal entities and individuals, including energy companies.