93 days of supplies and safe trails. Minister of Energy: There will be no shortage of fuel in Poland

We do not plan to release emergency oil reserves in the near future, Energy Minister Miłosz Motyka informed the Sejm on Thursday. He assured that supplies and stocks of crude oil and petroleum fuels in Poland are fully secured.

Motyka pointed out that when it comes to oil supplies, on a global scale, we are currently dealing with an unprecedented crisis. – In the event of full-scale aggression by Russia against Ukraine, the International Energy Agency decided to release stocks amounting to almost 200 million barrels. Now it is twice as high – noted the minister.

He pointed out that Poland had presented a schedule for the release of emergency stocks of crude oil. – But we don't plan that in the near future. The main factor is that the situation in terms of supplies and storage space in the case of crude oil and petroleum fuels in Poland is fully secured, Motyka assured MPs in the Sejm.

He emphasized that the current level of crude oil stocks in warehouses is higher than just before the outbreak of the war in the Middle East. – The supply of raw materials to our market, thanks to the appropriate delivery schedule, was faster than the increase in demand. Poland does not buy oil through the Strait of Hormuz, although it imports it from the Middle East via the oil pipeline running through the Arabian Peninsula and later the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea – added the minister.

He emphasized that there are currently no threats and no possible disruptions in the supply of raw materials to Poland. – But we will analyze it on an ongoing basis, and we can mitigate any risks very quickly – said Motyka.

He also said that Poland has 93 days of strategic reserves – when it comes to crude oil. He assured that there are no situations where fuel shortages occur at stations.

He added that the level of filling of gas storage facilities is almost 50%.

– Gas imports from Qatar account for less than 10 percent. demand (…) in Poland. This is a level that we will be able to replace quite quickly from another direction if the Strait of Hormuz is blocked for the next weeks or months, and this is already happening, said the minister, adding that the first deliveries that were planned for the following months are already being replaced. – This is a volume that we are able to replace quite quickly at appropriate prices – he emphasized.

The United States and Israel's war on Iran began on February 28. As a result, navigation in the Strait of Hormuz – a key oil and gas transport route – was seriously disrupted. Iran is threatening to attack ships, and many shipowners avoid transiting this area for security reasons.

On the night from Wednesday to Thursday, the Saudi Arabian army intercepted Iranian drones attacking the Shaybah oil field, located near the border with the United Arab Emirates, Reuters reported on Thursday.

Oil is extracted from the Shajbah field by Saudi Aramco, the main supplier of crude oil to Poland (45-50% share in total imports of this raw material). A few years ago, this field was already attacked from the air by Yemen's Houthi separatists – supporters of Iran, which Tehran finances and equips.

The International Energy Agency recommended the release of 400 million barrels of oil on Wednesday. This is the largest such operation in history. Its aim is to stop the rapid increase in raw material prices due to the war between the US and Israel with Iran. (PAP)

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