(Reuters) — Poland's Gaz-System will upgrade a metering station on the gas pipeline to Ukraine to boost gas transit capacity towards its eastern neighbor, the company said on Thursday.

The upgrade of the Hermanowice station will be ready at the end of 2025 or early 2026, the company told Reuters.

The upgrade, set to cost 8 million zloty ($2.12 million), follows talks with Ukraine's gas transmission network operator.

Ukraine wants to import large volumes of U.S. LNG via Germany, Greece, Lithuania and Poland ahead of the heating season, after Russian shelling left the country with storage almost empty.

Kyiv also wants to expand gas transport corridors. The Polish link allows shipment of up to 7 million cubic meters a day, a fraction of Ukraine's needs.

Naftogaz, Ukraine's state gas producer, and Polish refiner Orlen last month agreed to cooperate in the LNG sector. Naftogaz bought 200 million cubic meters (mcm) of LNG from Orlen, including one cargo of U.S. LNG.

The available capacity on the upgraded pipeline will depend on supply directions, the use of other export routes and the demand of power plants and storage facilities in southern and south-eastern Poland, Gaz-System said.

($1 = 3.7820 zlotys)