Officials from various corners of Europe acknowledged Wednesday that Russia had trimmed a fraction of its natural gas deliveries, but said they were confident that supplies would be sufficient to withstand the most intense run of cold weather thus far this winter.
Officials from various corners of
Europe
acknowledged
Wednesday that
Russia
had
trimmed a fraction of its natural gas deliveries, but said they were confident
that supplies would be sufficient to withstand the most intense run of cold
weather thus far this winter.
Russian natural gas supplies to
Italy
from
OAO Gazprom (GAZP.RS) were 11.6% below requested amounts, according to data
from the Italian grid operator. Officials from the
Czech
Republic
and
Hungary
also
reported small drops in gas inflows. Some other key European pipeline and grid
operators said Russian imports were coming in at normal levels.
Any talk of cutbacks of Russian natural gas deliveries to
Europe
generally arouses great anxiety following disruptions in recent years. But
officials across the continent Wednesday offered reassurances that gas supplies
remain sufficient to withstand the cold.
"Supplies of natural gas from
Russia
for
use in the
Czech
Republic
are
currently somewhat lower," said Martin Chalupsky, spokesman for the Czech
unit of RWE AG (RWE.XE). "We will cover demand without any
complications."
A European Commission spokeswoman said
Italy
,
Poland
and
Slovakia
's
natural gas supplies from
Russia
were
between 8% and 10% below normal as of 1100 GMT Wednesday, but those countries
were able to cover the missing supply by using stored gas or getting additional
supplies from other sources.
"All were able to cover for the missing amount," said Marlene
Holzner, spokeswoman for Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger. "As there
is enough gas on the market, we are confident that the market will
allocate."
The EU faced a deep crisis in 2009, when supplies of Russian gas plunged
because of a price dispute between
Russia
and
Ukraine
. That
prompted the bloc to invest in infrastructure to improve its response capacity.
Countries improved storage capacity and increased interconnections to enable
the movement of gas in many different directions.
Questions about
Russia
's
deliveries arose Wednesday after some Russian media reports said Gazprom had
trimmed European deliveries to allow for greater gas use at home due to cold
weather.
A Gazprom statement strongly defended the company's actions Wednesday and said
it had boosted deliveries to
Europe
,
engaging all its export routes, while also increasing withdrawals from
underground storage facilities.
"Despite increased gas consumption in
Russia
due
to the severe cold, Gazprom continues to fulfill its contractual obligations to
European consumers," the company said.
A Gazprom official who insisted on anonymity acknowledged the company was
having temporary problems meeting European gas demand, but that situation was
being rectified.
"Production is being increased, and we don't expect any further
problems," the Gazprom official said. "This gas has to be transported
over very long distances, and it can take time to get the gas through to the
consumer."
State-controlled Polish gas monopoly PGNiG SA (PGN.WA) said it was reducing gas
deliveries to its major clients in
Poland
,
including refiner PKN Orlen SA (PKN.WA), and has asked the Economy Ministry for
permission to tap into the government's gas reserves.
A PKN statement said the company could use other fuels as substitutes for
natural gas.
Poland
's
Economy Ministry said it was analyzing the request to tap mandatory natural gas
reserves.
E.ON Foldgaz Trade Zrt, Hungary's biggest gas trader, has seen an
"insignificant" drop in inflow of gas, but said gas from storage was
sufficient to make up the difference, a spokeswoman said. Hungarian national
pipeline operator Foldgazszallito Zrt said imports were undisturbed.
Italy
is
expecting 108.3 million cubic meters of gas from the Tarvisio entry point
Wednesday, while the actual inflow indicates the amount will be 95.7 million,
according to data from Italian grid operator Snam SpA (SRG.MI).
Italy
often
requests excessive gas as soon as the weather turns cold, said a Gazprom
spokesman. The country's other import gas pipelines from
Libya
and
Algeria
are
fully working and storage capacity is adequate to guarantee
Italy
's
energy security, said a person with knowledge of the situation.
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