Ukraine and Russia will not stop gas supplies despite the situation in the Kursk region, - media
Date: 2024-08-13 Author: Кирило Загоруйко Categories: WAR
Russia and Ukraine plan to continue supplying gas to Europe despite the fighting that continues near the main cross-border fuel transit point. Both sides will not stop gas supplies through the Sudzha gas intake station in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. This was reported on condition of anonymity by people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg writes.
"Ukraine's biggest incursion into Russian territory since the Kremlin invaded its neighbor in 2022 has pushed European gas prices to their highest this year amid fears that supplies will be disrupted. But both sides have financial incentives to keep the fuel flowing. For Kiev, gas transit provides critical cash for its war-torn economy — about $1 billion in 2021 — while Europe remains one of the largest consumers of Russian pipeline gas," the article noted.
The publication noted that Ukraine wants to be seen as a reliable partner for Europe and hopes that the region's traders will make more use of its vast gas storage facilities, since the country "has good reason to protect infrastructure, since unused pipelines can become targets for military attacks or fail, which would be expensive to repair."
However, one of Bloomberg's interlocutors warned that any accidental damage to key infrastructure at a gas intake station could lead to a supply disruption. At the same time, two other interlocutors say that after the invasion, the border crossing point is under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
In turn, the Russian supplier PJSC Gazprom did not immediately respond to journalists' requests, and the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy declined to comment.
"We intend to continue providing gas transportation services under the agreement," Naftogaz of Ukraine said in a statement, referring to the gas transit agreement, which expires in December.
The publication noted that while most European countries are looking for alternatives to Russian gas after the start of the war in Ukraine, countries such as Austria, Slovakia and Moldova continue to import gas from Gazprom through Ukraine.
"Gazprom continues to deliver gas to the Sudzha point, with daily flows stable in a range of between 37 million cubic meters to almost 40 million cubic meters. While that's slightly below the 42 million cubic meters a day it was delivering in recent weeks — before Ukraine's invasion — it reflects lower demand from European consumers. Russian flows through Ukraine will remain within their normal range on Tuesday, according to so-called nominations, or orders, published by the Ukrainian gas transportation system. Actual deliveries could still change," Bloomberg said.
