Russia's OAO Gazprom (GAZP.RS) won't have to pay overdue transit fees it owes to a Poland-based pipeline operator in an arrangement that is part of a new Polish-Russian gas deal, daily Rzeczpospolita reports Thursday, citing unofficial sources.
According to the daily, at stake was at least $80 million. In exchange, Polish gas monopoly PGNiG (PGN.WA) will get a discount for natural gas it buys from Gazprom.
Gazprom's debt to EuRoPol Gaz, the operator of the Polish section of the Yamal-Europe pipeline, was the biggest outstanding issue of the negotiations with Poland and state-controlled PGNiG, the daily adds.
Russia will also boost deliveries to Poland from 8 billion cubic meters a year to around 10.3 billion cubic meters. The Polish-Russian gas agreement will be in force until 2037.
As part of the new deal, Gazprom agreed to keep sending gas to the European Union using the Yamal-Europe pipeline that runs through Poland, the daily says.
The Polish government is likely to approve the new agreement within two weeks, Rzeczpospolita says.