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Moscow ready to resume gas supplies via Yamal-Europe
Pipeline
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Russia discussing additional supply via Turkey
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In talks to up supplies to Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan,
Kazakhstan
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Moscow may ship gas to Afghanistan, Pakistan in long term
Dec 25 (Reuters) – Moscow is ready to resume gas
supplies to Europe through the Yamal-Europe Pipeline, Russian
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told state TASS news
agency.
“The European market remains relevant, as the gas shortage
persists, and we have every opportunity to resume supplies,”
TASS cited Novak as saying in remarks published by the agency on
Sunday.
“For example, the Yamal-Europe Pipeline, which was stopped
for political reasons, remains unused.”
The Yamal-Europe Pipeline usually flows westward, but has
been mostly reversed since December of 2021 as Poland turned
away from buying from Russia in favour of drawing on stored gas
in Germany.
In May, Warsaw terminated its agreement with Russia, after
earlier rejecting Moscow’s demand that it pays in roubles.
Russian supplier Gazprom responded by cutting off
supply and also said it would no longer be able to export gas
via Poland after Moscow imposed sanctions against the firm that
owns the Polish section of the Yamal-Europe pipeline.
Novak also reiterated that Moscow is discussing additional
gas supplies through Turkey after a creation of a hub there.
He also said that Moscow expects it will have shipped 21
billion cubic metres (bcm) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to
Europe in 2022.
“This year we were able to significantly increase LNG
supplies to Europe,” Novak said. “In the 11 months of 2022 they
increased to 19.4 bcm, by the end of the year 21 bcm are
expected.”
In a wide-ranging interview with the TASS agency, parts of
which have been published throughout the weekend, Novak also
said that Russia has agreed with Azerbaijan to increase gas
supplies for its domestic consumption.
“In the future, when they increase gas production, we will
be able to discuss swaps,” he said.
Moscow is also discussing higher supplies of its gas to
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, he said.
Novak also said that in the long-term, Russia can send its
natural gas to the markets of Afghanistan and Pakistan, either
using the infrastructure of Central Asia, or in a swap from the
territory of Iran.
(Reporting in Melbourne by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Leslie
Adler, Nick Zieminski and Michael Perry)
