Russia suspends natural gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria.
Gas deliveries through the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline will stop on Wednesday morning, officials in Warsaw said.
Poland’s state gas company PGNiG said on Tuesday that it had been informed of the move by Russian gas giant Gazprom.
Gazprom has also informed the Bulgarian state gas company Bulgargaz that it will stop gas supplies from Wednesday, according to the country’s energy ministry.
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It comes after the Russian president Vladimir Putin he said last month that “unfriendly” foreign buyers would have to pay state-owned Gazprom in rubles instead of dollars and euros, which the international community has refused to do.
Anna Moskwa, Poland’s climate minister, insisted the country was prepared for such a situation after working for years to reduce its dependence on Russian energy sources.
She said the country has been effectively independent when it comes to Russian gas for some time.
“There will be no shortage of gas in Polish homes,” Moskwa tweeted, before repeating that message at a news conference.
“The appropriate diversification strategies that we have introduced allow us to feel safe in this situation,” he said.
The Yamal pipeline connects the Russian natural gas fields with Poland and Germany. Photo: Sam Bailey
Germany will continue to be supplied by the Nordstream submarine pipeline.
Bulgaria has said it was working with state gas companies to find alternative sources.
“The Russian proposal for a two-step payment procedure violates the current contract and carries considerable risks for Bulgaria, including making payments without receiving gas deliveries from Russia,” the Bulgarian government said.
He added that no restrictions will be imposed on domestic gas consumption for now, even though the Balkan country of 6.5 million meets more than 90% of its gas needs with Russian imports.
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The Yamal pipeline connects Russia’s natural gas fields on the Yamal Peninsula and Western Siberia with Poland and Germany, via Belarus, and is about 2,552 miles long.
Poland has been receiving around nine billion cubic meters of Russian gas every year.
The European Network of Gas Transmission System Operators posted flowcharts on its website showing drastic drops in gas flows at entry points in Kondratki, a city in eastern Poland, and Vysokaye, in Belarus.
Gazprom was quoted as saying that Poland now has to pay for its gas supplies under a new procedure by the Russian news agency Tass, but the Russian company did not confirm the suspension of gas supplies.
Europe imports large amounts of natural gas from Russia to heat homes, generate electricity and fuel for industry, and imports have continued despite the war in Ukraine.
60% of gas imports are paid in euros and the rest in dollars.
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European leaders responded to Putin’s demands to pay in rubles by saying they would not comply, arguing the requirement violated the terms of the contracts and their sanctions against Russia.
PGNiG has also said that Russia’s demand to be paid in rubles is a breach of Yamal’s contract.
Separately, Denmark’s Orsted repeated Tuesday that he “has no intention” of paying Russia in rubles for the gas.
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The escape of a family from Mariupol
Ukrainian refugees have flooded Poland since the war broke out, and the country is a staunch supporter of its neighbor.
It is also a transit point for weapons from the US and other Western nations to Ukraine.
Reference-news.sky.com