Polish pipeline operator Gaz-System is set to receive a loan of 2.2bn zlotys ($593m) to develop the onshore section of the country’s first floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), reported Reuters.

Scheduled for completion in 2028, the FSRU will be situated in the Bay of Gdansk and is expected to play a critical role in Poland's energy infrastructure.

The project will establish infrastructure that will facilitate the offtake of increased volumes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) transported by sea, followed by regasification and delivery to the National Transmission System.

The FSRU will be capable of LNG unloading, in-process storage, regasification of LNG and additional services.

The loan from state-owned bank BGK is backed by EU funds and has a repayment period of 25 years.

The funds will be directed towards constructing a 250km pipeline designed to link the floating LNG (FLNG) terminal to the central gas network of Poland, as detailed by BGK deputy president Marta Pustula.

Earlier this year, Gaz-System completed the expansion of its LNG terminal in Świnoujście.

This expansion increased the terminal's regasification capacity to 8.3 billion cubic metres (bcm), catering to nearly half of the annual gas demand of Polish consumers.

In March last year, Gaz-System signed an agreement to acquire Gas Storage Poland from Polish refiner Orlen.

The agreement bolsters Gaz-System’s Polish gas market presence, complementing its Yamal pipeline and LNG terminal operations.

Gaz-System also announced plans in April this year to modernise the Hermanowice gas metering station.

This upgrade is a result of technical discussions with the Ukrainian gas transmission system operator (TSO) regarding the GCP GAZ-SYSTEM/UA TSO interconnection and aims to improve transmission system capacity, especially towards Ukraine.