Poland’s President says his country would “of course” be interested in purchasing Canadian liquefied natural gas (LNG) if it became available, while the Canadian federal government has said it is “not interested” in subsidizing future projects.
Andrzej Duda sat down for an exclusive wide-ranging interview with CTV’s Question Period host Vassy Kapelos during a trip to Edmonton this week.
The interview will air on Sunday. Duda spoke in Polish through a translator.
When asked if Poland would be interested in Canadian LNG, Duda said “of course it would.”
“If Canada is ready to supply LNG to Poland, we have our LNG terminal… right now,” he said, adding that there are already plans to expand the country’s existing infrastructure.
Duda said Poland already buys LNG from American and Qatari companies and would be interested in Canadian product if it could be “purchased at attractive prices.”
“In the same way, I would be willing to negotiate, to talk and also accept Canadian gas,” he stated.
Duda is the latest European leader to say they would probably buy Canadian LNG if it were available; Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also told Kapelos in an exclusive CTV interview last month that his country would “of course” be interested in the product.
According to Natural Resources Canada, there are eight LNG projects “in various stages of development,” and the first export facility is scheduled to begin operations next year, with shipments destined for some Asian countries.
For years there has been a political debate about whether Canada could or should plan to export to European countries as well.
More than two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the issue has taken on a new sense of urgency, as many Western nations try to phase out purchases of Russian oil.
Germany and Japan have also expressed interest in purchasing LNG from Canada. But in August 2022, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was not sold on the idea that LNG exports were part of Canada’s long-term plan when it comes to becoming a reliable supplier of clean energy to Europe.
And in an interview on CTV’s quiz show last month, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said the federal government is “not interested” in subsidizing future liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects, including the electrification of projects currently in process.
Duda said he discussed “energy issues” with Trudeau during the president’s most recent visit to Canada, but did not specify whether they broached the issue of LNG.
In his interview, Duda also discussed Russia’s war against Ukraine and the risk of “insatiable” Russian imperialism, his relationship with former US President Donald Trump, NATO’s defense spending target and the “willingness” of Poland to host nuclear weapons in case NATO expands its nuclear program. sharing program.
You can watch Duda’s full interview for CTV’s question period in the video player at the top of this article.
With files from CTV’s Question Period Senior Producer Stephanie Ha