WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish officials warn there could be gas shortages this winter if a long-sought deal with Russia on increasing gas imports is not signed soon.
Maciej Kaliski, director of the oil and gas department at Poland’s Economy Ministry, says the amount currently contracted will be used up by November.
Joanna Wasicka-Zakrzewska, a spokeswoman for Poland’s gas and oil monopoly PGNiG, also said Thursday the company would face a shorfall of "a certain amount of gas."
Poland and Russia have been negotiating a deal that would raise Poland’s annual imports from 7.5 billion cubic meters (265 billion cubic feet) to 9 billion cubic meters through 2037. But signing has been delayed amid criticism that it raises Poland’s dependence on Russia.
