Gazprom in dispute with Polish gas pipeline operator

The Russian natural gas giant Gazprom is partly suspending cooperation with the operator of the Polish segment of a major pipeline after its request for lower transit fees was rebuffed, Poland’s state-owned gas monopoly said Tuesday.

The Polish company, Polskie Gornictwo Naftowe & Gazownictwo, or PGNiG, did not specify what, if any, effect the dispute involving the Yamal pipeline, which carries Russian gas to Europe, might have.
In the Polish dispute, PGNiG said that during a supervisory board meeting in Moscow of the pipeline operator EuRoPol Gaz, Gazprom demanded an increase in its shareholding rights beyond what is called for in the 1993 agreement that set up the company as a Polish-Russian joint venture. PGNiG holds a 48 percent stake in EuRoPol plus 4 percent via its controlling share in another company, Gas-Trading. Gazprom owns the remaining 48 percent.

“The Russian side also questioned the level of tariffs for transit of gas through Polish territory,” PGNiG said. “This position met with opposition by Polish representatives and was found to be totally unfounded.”

International Herald Tribune