The new container, which can hold 45,000 cubic metres of oil, was launched on Monday in the presence of central and local government officials, as well as executives from the state-owned pipeline operator PERN, public broadcaster Polish Radio's IAR news agency reported.
Piotr Naimski, the government commissioner for strategic energy infrastructure, said the expansion of TNG was "massively important."
PERN now has almost 2 million cubic metres' worth of storage space on the Polish coast, according to officials.
"It's enough for Polish refineries, and also German ones if necessary, to be able to buy various varieties of oil in a safe way," Naimski told reporters.
PERN's CEO Igor Wasilewski said TNG allowed Polish companies, Orlen and Lotos, to receive oil by sea from different parts of the world.
"They don't have to rely on supplies from the east, which matters for the security of the state," he said.
The latest phase of TNG's expansion, including the new tank, has consumed enough steel to build "two Eiffel Towers," PERN said.
Piotr Naimski, the government commissioner for strategic energy infrastructure, and PERN CEO Igor Wasilewski during the ceremony in Gdańsk on Monday. Photo: PAP/Adam Warżawa
Situated on the Bay of Gdańsk, PERN's TNG now encompasses 11 containers, adding up to 765,000 cubic metres of storage space.
The terminal also includes internal and external oil pipelines, among other infrastructure, and is secure against both fire and cyber threats, officials said.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR