OREANDA-NEWS. August 21, 2008. Poland confirmed its plans to process at its oil refineries an annual 6-7 million tons of light Caspian oil that will be sent through the Brody-Plock oil pipeline.

Ukrainian Fuel and Energy Minister Yuriy Prodan and Polish Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy Waldemar Pawlak were speaking during a meeting in Poland, as was reported with reference to the press service of the Ukrainian Fuel and Energy Ministry.

According to the ministry, officials noted progress in the development of the Eurasian oil transport corridor and in the drafting of a feasibility study for the respective project. The parties confirmed their support the development of the new corridor for transporting oil from the Caspian Sea to European and international markets across Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine and Poland, using the Odesa-Brody-Plock oil pipeline. With the goal of involving the assistance of the European Commission in a gradual access to financial and credit funds of the European Union as part of finishing the construction of the Brody-Plock section, it was decided to intensify cooperation in this direction.

The ministers praised Ukrainian electricity supplies to Poland that resumed in April 2008. Ukrainian delegates expressed hope that Polish energy companies would invest in the Ukrainian electricity sector. Thus, they agreed to hold by the end of 2008 a seminar involving the interested Ukrainian enterprises and Polish design companies that will discuss the modernization of power transmission lines and the involvement of respective Polish companies in the implementation of Ukraine's projects on the construction of the newest power transmission lines.

Prodan briefed Pawlak on the situation and planned measures on the synchronization of the United Energy Grid of Ukraine with the UCTE electricity system. Poland suggested maintaining cooperation at the level of experts to bring Ukrainian energy laws into conformity with standards of the energy union.

The officials also spoke about problems existing in the purchase of Polish steam coal for the needs of Ukraine's energy sector.

As for the creation of the Baltic-Black Sea-Caspian energy transit corridor, the parties agreed to consider by the end of 2008 the transportation of gas from its deposits in the Caspian Sea to Europe by constructing the necessary gas transportation system and agreed to create a joint working group for this goal. They also discussed the possibility of storing gas in Ukraine.