Three groups including Italian, Korean and Polish builders placed initial offers to build Poland's liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal estimated to be worth 600-700 million euros ($823-960 million).
Polskie LNG, the group overseeing the construction process, said on Friday the three consortia were: Polish PBG PBGG.WA with Italy's Saipem  , Polimex MOSD.WA and Tecnimont MCTM.MI, and a group led by Daewoo Engineering and Construction, a unit of Daewoo International .
"The next stage would be negotiations with the bidders, after which they will be able to place their final bids in April," Zbigniew Rapciak, head of Polskie LNG, which is overseeing the investment, was quoted in a statement.
"In May we want to sign the deal with the consortium, which will build the LNG terminal in (the Baltic port of) Swinoujscie."
The capacity of the terminal, to be ready by mid-2014, is planned at 5 billion cubic metres of gas annually, with an option to raise it to 7.5 billion.
Poland, European Union's largest ex-communist member, is currently using 14 billion cubic metres of gas a year, mostly from Russia.