Polish pipeline operator to sign deal on connecting fuel links with NATO system

Polish pipeline operator PERN will sign a preliminary deal on Friday with a unit of Poland's defence ministry to extend the country's fuel pipelines to connect them with the NATO system, the ministry said on Thursday.

NATO has a network of fuel pipelines to supply its troops in the event of war.

Poland has long sought to connect with NATO's Central Europe Pipeline System (CEPS), which dates from the Cold War era and transports jet fuel, gasoline, diesel fuel and naphtha across Belgium, France, Germany, Luxemburg and the Netherlands. It ends several hundred kilometres from the Polish border.

As well as connecting the network operated by PERN to the NATO system, the project will involve the construction of fuel storage facilities for the needs of NATO's armed forces, the ministry said.

"Implementing this project will not only increase Poland's resilience to fuel crises but also strengthen its position as a strategic NATO partner in the region," the ministry said.