Achi news desk-
Poland’s President says his country would “of course” be interested in buying Canadian liquefied natural gas (LNG) if it became available, while Canada’s federal government has said it is “not interested” in subsidizing future projects.
Andrzej Duda sat down for a wide-ranging exclusive interview with CTV’s Question Period host Vassy Kapelos during a trip to Edmonton this week.
The interview will be broadcast on Sunday. Duda spoke in Polish through a translator.
Asked if Poland would be interested in Canadian LNG, Duda said “of course, yes.”
“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 that Poland already buys LNG from American and Qatari companies, and that it would be interested in Canadian product if it could be “purchased at attractive prices.”
“In the same way he would be ready to negotiate, to talk, and to accept Canadian gas as well,” he said.
Duda is the latest European leader to say they would likely buy Canadian LNG if it were available; Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also told Kapelos in an exclusive CTV Question Period 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,” with the first export facility slated to begin operating next year, with shipments slated to some Asian countries.
There has been political debate for years about whether Canada could or should plan to export to European countries as well.
More than two years after Russia invaded Ukraine, the issue has taken on a new sense of urgency, as many Western nations seek to phase out purchases of Russian oil.
Germany and Japan have also expressed interest in buying Canadian LNG. But in August 2022, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he wasn’t sold on the idea that LNG exports were part of Canada’s long-term plan to become a reliable supplier of clean energy to Europe.
And in an interview on CTV’s Question Period last month, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said the federal government had “no interest” in subsidizing future liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects, including electrification of projects that at work at the moment.
Duda said he discussed “energy issues” with Trudeau during the president’s most recent visit to Canada, but did not say whether they discussed the topic of LNG.
In his interview, Duda also discussed Russia’s war on Ukraine and the risk of “irresponsible” Russian imperialism, his relationship with former US president Donald Trump, NATO’s defense spending target, and Poland’s “willingness” to maintain nuclear weapons should NATO expand its nuclear 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
