Dramatic drop in gas supply from Russia

Photo: Glowimages

Polish natural gas network operator PGNiG has said that gas supplies through entry points on the Ukrainian and Belarusian borders have been lower since Monday.

On Monday, the level was about 20 percent lower than what the company had ordered from Russia's Gazprom. On Tuesday it was some 24 percent lower.

PGNiG said it had asked Gazprom to explain the situation. It also assured Poles that its underground gas caverns were full and did not need to be used yet, and that the lower influx was compensated through entry points on the Czech and German borders.

Speaking to Russian news agency ITAR-TASS, Gazprom's spokesperson said that the company continued to deliver the same amount of gas, 23 million cubic metres a day, to Poland.

However, he admitted that the gas supplies were from sources “available for export,” while Russia continues to fill its underground gas storage facilities.

Slovakia's gas distributor SPP has also recorded reduced gas influx through the country's border with Ukraine, by some 10 percent. A similar situation was reported by Germany's E.ON.

Later on Wednesday, Polish pipeline operator Gaz-System said that it had temporarily suspended reverse gas supplies to Ukraine.

According to some experts, reverse gas supplies may be one of the reasons that Gazprom has started sending less fuel to Poland.

Russia had previously hinted that in its opinion the procedure is illegal, former Deputy Economy Minister Piotr Woźniak told PAP.

Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Janusz Piechocinski said that Poland was working on settling the issue of lower supplies.

“We will see if the situation stems from technical or political reasons and whether it should give us food for thought,” the minister said. (kw/nh)