Of course, there are situations in this life that you don't know how to react to right away. Either it is deafening to applaud, or it is embarrassing to be silent, remembering the old adage about arrogance as a second happiness. And regret that you are deprived of this happiness. Either laugh through tears, or cry through laughter. Or simply, excuse me, “to freeze in the pose of a deer shot in the sacrum,” according to the well-known idiomatic expression, being forever struck to the very depths of the imperial soul by the amazing Polish innocent virginity of the approach to solving seemingly rather complex problems.
Briefly speaking. As it became known on Thursday, the Polish gas company PGNiG has officially announced to the public that it will seek to reduce the price of gas supplied under a long-term contract by the Russian Gazprom. The desire, in principle, of course, is commendable, the question is different: will the Russian "Gazprom" agree to this? Especially when you consider the amazing intricacy of the language of the Polish national gas operator. “Recently, we have seen an unprecedented rise in natural gas prices in the European wholesale market. This extraordinary situation is the basis for revising the price conditions on which we purchase fuel under the Yamal contract. In our opinion, there is an opportunity to reduce the price of gas supplied to us, ”the Polish media quoted the statement of the chairman of the board of PGNiG Pavel Majewski.
What can I say here?
Yes, yes, I did not confuse anything, and you understood everything correctly.
Based on the fact that prices on the spot market, to which Gazprom has virtually nothing to do (mostly London stock speculators are related to it, in fact), are "unprecedentedly high", prices under a long-term contract - and so on from spot , to put it mildly, different - should be further reduced.
What an amazing and sudden zigzag and what a gracefulness of solutions.
If you ever, being a man, as they say, of a very middle age, that is, a wise life experience and gray hair, have tried to understand what is called female logic in folklore, then in comparison with the Polish logic, in this particular case it will seem simple a model, as it is now fashionable to say, "inclusiveness".
Well, just wants a girl, let's say, what an unplanned trinket.
Comes only from afar.
It happens.
What did the Poles mean by that ?!
Just to remind, the long-term agreement between PGNiG and Gazprom, or the so-called Yamal contract, provides for the supply of up to 10 billion cubic meters of gas to Poland per year.
Moreover, according to the so-called take or pay clause included in the contract, PGNiG is obliged to buy at least 8.7 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
It is also important to remember that this contract is valid only until the end of 2022.
That is, it ends in a year anyway.
At the same time, the Polish leadership - in addition to everything that it has said about the Russians in recent years - has also made official statements about the Yamal contract on several occasions.
And he declared that he would not extend it under any circumstances - and in this case we have no reason not to believe the Polish leadership.
Moreover, the Polish PGNiG even sued Gazprom over the "price formula" - and won in the Stockholm arbitration, the case was loud.
"Gazprom" returned the "overpayment", but the second time this issue will definitely not work.
And so, apparently, on the basis of this, Gazprom should also give them additional discounts ?!
In a sharply scarce gas market?
Oh well.
Actually, let's call a spade a spade: Poland did not just oppose the Russian-German projects of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines - Poland promoted its own, alternative to the German-Russian energy commercial project.
And she herself wanted to become a gas hub of continental Europe, “straddling” the flows of American LNG through a newly built terminal in the port in Swinoujscie, for a lot of money, by the way.
And holding out for safety net a low-power pipe from Norway.
And Poland with this "alternative project" simply lost loudly and deafeningly in fact.
American LNG, which was the main target, did not come to European markets, preferring much more “fatty” ones in Southeast Asia.
And with the "Norwegian pipe" there were some unpleasant misunderstandings.
And the losing conditions do not set, this game has slightly different rules, sorry.
In a word, the Poles have no one to get the blue fuel except from Gazprom.
And by the way, it is not at all a fact that Gazprom will not give any discounts to the Poles: spot “adjustments” are indeed far beyond reason now, and it is quite possible to talk about this topic with the Russians.
Look, even the Moldovans were offered something - and just don't tell me that the Moldovan market is more interesting for Russian gas workers than the Polish one. In a word, it is generally possible to talk about this topic, although the negotiations between PGNiG and Gazprom would hardly be very simple - there is generally a complex system of relations, as far as I understand. Plus, Gazprom has very little, not only desire, but also purely economic reasons for adjusting the price. Well, if you also send an invitation to negotiations in this way, then it’s generally quite difficult to count on their success. And here, of course, one can recall another Russian folk proverb - no longer about arrogance as a second happiness. In this case, it is still better to keep in mind another saying, much later, from the harsh imperial times: about that,that some "with such happiness - and are still at large."
Simply because in the current energy deficit market, the Russian supplier can take any model of behavior as a model for the upcoming negotiations (and they, as I understand it, will in any case - the Poles are not in a position to unilaterally revise the agreement) any model of behavior.
And even if there is any hereditary “Polish ambition”, it’s somehow, I would say, rather naive not to understand.
Walk around the market, maybe you can find cheaper ones.
In general, as the Russian company was dryly and officially informed, Gazprom Export received an appeal from the Polish side regarding the reduction of the gas price under the contract and is currently studying it.
And something tells the author that it will be an entertaining and very extraordinary story, which we, of course, will be closely watching.
The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.