Russian gas supplies to be increased on Friday?
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
12.09.2014 08:40
Russia's Gazprom has informed Poland that it will supply enough gas to meet orders after several days of deficit.
Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Janusz Piechocinski holds a press conference concerning the gas deficit from Russia. Photo: PAP/Tomasz Gzell
“After several hours of silence, the Russian side has assured us that on Friday supplies should be equal to orders,” Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Janusz Piechocinski said late on Thursday.
The drop in gas supplies had sparked concern in the light of the Ukrainian crisis, with the EU and Russia in a stand-off punctuated by a series of sanctions and counter-sanctions.
Earlier this week Poland's natural gas distributor PGNiG had said that gas supplies through entry points on the Belarusian and Ukrainian borders were lower than what it had commissioned, dropping by as much as 45 percent on Wednesday.
Gaz-System, the operator of Poland's natural gas pipelines, confirmed the data and said that PGNiG had increased orders from Gazprom this week.
PGNiG had ordered some 75 percent more gas to come through the Ukrainian border and some 100 percent more to flow through the border with Belarus. The influx through the former entry point was maintained at a more or less constant level and through the latter one – at some 40 percent lower that usual.
Gazprom had been saying that its supplies to Poland remained at their regular level. However, sources quoted by Russian news agency Interfax had said that the company was trying to keep gas exports at a minimal level allowed by contracts.
Gaz-System added that overall, the Polish pipeline system has gas deficit. Higher demand is covered by increased supplies through Germany and the Czech Republic.
Piechocinski said that Poland was prepared to counter such a situation. “On the political and business level we are stronger than ever, in case there is more trouble with regular supplies of gas,” he said.
“Every recipient of gas should receive a reassuring message that the system is working, stable, with a high technical capacity and there is no threat to gas supplies,” he added. (kw/nh)
Source: PAP