VIENNA--Some Central European countries continued to report
declines in Russian gas deliveries on Monday as tensions between
Ukraine and Russia persist in the run-up to winter.
Austria's energy regulator E-Control said gas supplies were down
by 25% on Friday--the largest decrease for the Alpine country so
far. Deliveries did increase the next day and "on Saturday it was
only [down] 20%," E-Control's Executive Director Martin Graf
said.
For this time of year, due to weather and the filling of storage
capacity, declines of between 10% and 15% are within the range of
normal, he added.
Slovak natural gas distributor SPP AS said that flows of Russian
gas to the country were down by 20% from contracted levels on
Monday. Last week flows of Russian gas into Slovakia were down by
as much as 25%.
Polish natural gas operator Gaz System said Russia's Gazprom
continues to deliver less gas than what is ordered.
SPP, like its Austrian peer, said that there were no supply
disruptions to domestic gas customers despite the declines in gas
flows from Russia.
Austria's gas storage capacity is full and demand for gas is low
due to the relatively warm weather, Mr. Graf said.
"It isn't a worrying situation, but of course we need to see if
the decreases continue in the near future," he added.
Mr. Graf declined to comment on how long Austria could meet
demand should Russian gas deliveries cease completely, referring
instead to a coming stress test by the European Commission on such
a scenario.
Earlier this month, a spokesman for Austria's largest oil and
gas company OMV AG (OMV.VI) said Austria's storage capacity was
roughly equivalent to a year's demand of gas.
The Austrian regulator has contacted Russia's Gazprom about the
decreases, but "there is so far no answer," Mr. Graf said.
The fall in gas supplies comes as tensions between Russia and
Ukraine continue and the two remain at odds regarding payments for
gas. Moscow is demanding Kiev pay $385 per thousand cubic meters
for its gas, a price the economically stressed Ukraine is unwilling
to pay. Russia shut off its gas deliveries to Ukraine in June.
Both Slovakia and Poland, and to a lesser degree Hungary, are
delivering gas to neighboring Ukraine after Gazprom stopped
shipping gas there in June, citing several billion dollars" worth
of unpaid bills.
Despite the reduced flows to Poland, the country continues to
supply Ukraine with gas via Germany and the Czech Republic.
Slovakia's pipeline operator Eustream also said Monday that its
flows to Ukraine are in a "normal mode" and aren't affected by
reduced flows into Slovakia for domestic use.
Russia, Ukraine and the European Union are due to restart talks
on gas supplies to Ukraine on Friday, Sept. 26, in Berlin.
Patryk Wasilewski in Warsaw contributed to this article.
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