Russia suspends natural gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria.
Gas supplies through the Yamal-Europe pipeline will be cut off on Wednesday morning, officials in Warsaw said.
Polish state gas company PGNiG announced on Tuesday that it had announced the move of Russian gas giant Gazprom.
Gazprom also informed Bulgarian state gas company Bulgargaz that it would suspend gas supplies from Wednesday, according to the country’s energy ministry.
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This comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin 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 Moskva, Poland’s climate minister, insisted the country was prepared for such a situation after years of working to reduce its dependence on Russian energy sources.
She said the country has been truly independent of Russian gas for some time.
“There will be no shortage of gas in Polish homes,” Ms. Moskwa tweeted before repeating the announcement at a news conference.
“The right diversification strategies we have put in place allow us to feel safe in this situation,” she said.
Image: The Yamal gas pipeline connects Russia’s natural gas fields with Poland and Germany. Photo: Sam Bailey
Germany will still be served by the Nordstream underwater gas pipeline.
Bulgaria has said it is working with state-owned gas companies to find alternative sources.
“Russia’s proposal for a two-stage payment procedure is contrary to this agreement and poses significant risks for Bulgaria, including making payments without receiving gas supplies from Russia,” the Bulgarian government said.
He added that no restrictions on domestic gas consumption will be imposed for the time being, although the Balkan country of 6.5 million people covers more than 90% of its Russian gas needs.
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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 receives about nine billion cubic meters of Russian gas each year.
The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas publishes flow charts on its website, showing drastic declines in gas flows at entry points in Kondratki, a city in eastern Poland, and Vysokie, Belarus.
Gazprom was quoted as saying that Poland now has to pay for its gas supplies under a new procedure from Russia’s Tass news agency, but the Russian company has not confirmed the suspension of gas supplies.
Europe imports large quantities of natural gas from Russia for home heating, electricity production and the fuel industry – and imports continue despite the war in Ukraine.
About 60% of gas imports are paid in euros and the rest in dollars.
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European leaders responded to Mr Putin’s demands to pay in rubles, saying they would not comply – arguing that the requirement violates the terms of their treaties and sanctions against Russia.
PGNiG also said that Russia’s request to be paid in rubles was a breach of the Yamal agreement.
Elsewhere, Denmark’s Orsted reiterated on Tuesday that it “has no intention” of paying Russia in rubles for gas.
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