Poland’s gas transmission system operator (TSO), Gaz-System, announced that the FSRU programme being implemented by GAZ-SYSTEM has reached another important stage.
In May, the FSRU vessel was launched at the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in South Korea; by the end of 2027, it will arrive to the Gulf of Gdańsk and become the heart of Poland’s first FSRU Terminal.
The launch is one of the most symbolic moments in the shipbuilding process. It marks the completion of the main structural work and the transition to the next phase of the project. Just a few months ago, GAZ-SYSTEM announced the laying of the keel, and now the structure has taken to the water for the first time. This is a clear sign that the FSRU Terminal programme is steadily approaching completion.
The vessel is nearly 295 metres long and 46 metres wide. Its tanks will hold 170,000 m³ of LNG, and once operational, the FSRU Terminal’s regasification capacity will exceed 6 billion m³ of natural gas per year. The LNG delivered to the Gulf of Gdańsk by sea will then be transported as natural gas to the national transmission system.
Although the launched vessel already resembles a completed unit, the contractors still have a lot of complex work to perform that is related to the outfitting and integration of the process systems. One of the most important stages will be the installation of the membrane system in the LNG tanks, responsible for the safe storage of liquefied natural gas, and the installation of the regasification module enabling the conversion of LNG back into a gaseous state.
The coming months will involve the startup and integration of the vessel’s systems, including connection to shore power, the startup of generators and boilers, and tests of the vessel’s power systems. This will be followed by testing at sea and with gas to confirm the correct operation of the propulsion system, safety systems and regasification plants under operational conditions.
The completed FSRU will arrive at the Gulf of Gdańsk at the end of 2027, and the commencement of regasification services is scheduled for the first quarter of 2028.
Work is also progressing on the onshore component of the FSRU Programme in Poland. Over the last few days, the TBM arrived in Górki Zachodnie near Gdańsk, where it will bore a more than one-kilometre-long microtunnel to accommodate the offshore gas pipeline being constructed for the Terminal. The tunnel will run beneath the coastal forest, the dunes, the beach and the seabed of the Gulf of Gdańsk, enabling connection of the Terminal to the national gas transmission system.
In the coming months, major construction work will also begin on the FSRU Terminal jetty in the Gulf of Gdańsk. Work on the onshore gas pipelines along the Gdańsk-Gustorzyn route is also well advanced. All elements of the investment project – from the offshore infrastructure to the onshore transmission network – are being carried out in parallel and on schedule.
The FSRU Terminal in the Gulf of Gdańsk is one of GAZ-SYSTEM’s strategic investment projects aimed at strengthening Poland’s energy security and diversifying the directions of natural gas supply. The project involves the construction of the FSRU vessel as well as offshore and onshore infrastructure, to enable the unloading, process storage and regasification of liquefied natural gas delivered by sea, which will then be transported to the national gas transmission system to finally reach customers in Poland and the region.
The project represents an important element in the expansion of the national gas transmission infrastructure and in enhancing the resilience of the Polish gas market.