The project is one of the biggest investments in the Polish
energy sector in the last couple of years. A British oil tanker pumped 100,000
tonnes of oil into the terminal’s tanks, officially launching the terminal
operated by state-owned PERN.
Polish Energy Minister, Krzysztof Tchórzewski
said the terminal will “ensure a stabilised flow of crude oil to the Polish
economy”. The terminal’s tanks are able to contain 375,000 cubic metres of oil,
and this fact alone increases Poland’s energy security, experts say.
The
terminal was built in a duty-free zone, and its operator said that it is the
first such project in Poland, and the terminal could eventually become an
international hub of oil trade. The cornerstone of the Crude Terminal in Gdańsk
was laid in 2014, and was completed at a cost of PLN 412 mln, in line with
estimates.