Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom Monday said Ukraine was using more
Russian gas than agreed, effectively reducing gas deliveries to
Europe amid extreme cold weather in Russia and across Europe.
"We have raised gas deliveries towards Ukraine for transferring
on to Europe by 35-mil cu m/day, but a portion of the gas has not
reached our European consumers," Alexander Medvedev, head of
Gazprom's export arm, said in televised comments.
Medvedev noted that Gazprom had taken all possible measures to
meet gas demand amid record cold weather in Russia, Ukraine and
Europe. But "Ukraine has taken more gas than was agreed, not
allowing us to meet our obligations to our foreign partners in
full," he said.
Gazprom plans to export 151-bil cu m of gas to Europe this year,
up 2.7% or 4 Bcm from 147 Bcm delivered to that destination last
year. The company has shipped gas volumes exceeding daily
transportation plans developed to meet the target despite
weather-related difficulties, Medvedev said. He added that gas
supplies via other exports routes--through Belarus and Turkey--have
also exceeded previously planned volumes.
Amid a sharp increase in demand, Gazprom's upstream and
transportation facilities have been used at maximum capacities,
Gazprom's official representative Sergei Kupriyanov said.
He noted that the company was currently producing 85-mil cu m/day
of gas more than was previously planned although the weather in
Gazprom's main gas provinces plummet below minus 56 degrees Celsius.
Gazprom has also taken 230-mil cu m/day of gas more than planned
from its underground storage facilities, Kupriyanov said. "Thus amid
a bitter cold across almost all the country, Gazprom has delivered
gas to Russian and foreign consumers with record volumes," he said.
Deliveries of Russian gas to European countries, however, were
continuing Jan 23 at below-normal levels.
Poland's economy ministry said Russian gas supplies have fallen
to 34% below contracted levels since Saturday. The fall in supplies
was registered at the Drozdowicze entry point, which brings Russian
gas into the country through Ukraine.
In Italy, the supply gap is forecast at 4-mil cu m of 74-mil cu m
requested--equivalent to a 5.4% reduction or 1.0% of national demand
from Monday 0600 to Tuesday 0600 CET (0500 GMT), Eni said. The week
ending Jan 20, the shortage peaked at 12.2% as Gazprom kept gas back
for domestic use.
Updated on: Jan 24, 2006
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