The development of a huge deposit of hydrocarbons could allegedly harm the environment and tourism
German officials and environmental groups have hit out at Polish plans to develop a newly discovered oil and gas field in the Baltic Sea, warning of potentially “catastrophic” damage to local ecosystems, German media reported on Tuesday.
Canadian company Central European Petroleum (CEP), which has held exploration rights off Poland’s western coast since 2017, announced the discovery of the Wolin East deposit on Monday, describing it as Poland’s largest hydrocarbon discovery and one of the biggest in Europe in a decade.
The deposit lies 6km off the Polish port of Swinoujscie near the island of Wolin, close to the German holiday island of Usedom. CEP estimates its recoverable reserves at over 33 million tons of oil and 27 billion cubic meters of gas, with production potential of more than 400 million barrels of oil equivalent.
German officials, however, fear the project will harm local tourism and ecosystems. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Environment Minister Till Backhaus warned the plans run “counter to the environmental and tourism interests of the German side,” and criticized Poland for not informing Berlin of exploration “with potentially transboundary environmental impacts” in advance, allegedly in violation of cross-border environmental agreements.
Concerns have also been raised about noise, vibrations, and possible damage to marine flora and fauna. Laura Isabelle Marisken, mayor of the Heringsdorf resort on Usedom, called for clarification from the Polish government and protection from Berlin, stating the area was “not a place for industrial-political poker games.”
Environmental group Lebensraum Vorpommern accused Poland of “destroying the nature-protected Wolin Baltic Sea coast” and warned of an “environmental catastrophe.” It said it plans to sue the Polish government.
There has so far been no official reaction to the planned extraction from Berlin.
Poland considers the discovery a “breakthrough” that could reduce its reliance on energy imports. Undersecretary of State and Chief Geologist Krzysztof Galos said the deposit may cover 4-5% of annual oil demand, with production starting in 3-4 years, pending permits.
The EU has been scrambling to replace Russian energy after supplies dwindled due to Ukraine-related sanctions. Moscow has denounced the restrictions as illegal, warning the bloc will be forced to rely on more expensive alternatives or indirect imports.
