Gazprom increased gas supplies to Germany through the newly launched North European Gas Pipeline (Nord Stream), while reducing the tranist through the Yamal-Europe pipeline – Russian media reported on Monday.
According to a state newspaper Rossiyskay Gazieta, the supply of gas to Germany with the use of the Nord Stream have increased from 340 thousand cubic meters per hour at the beginning of November to 590 thousand cubic meters per hour on November 27th.
However, another Russian newspaper Viedomostii reported that on Saturday, November 26th, the quantity of gas to Germany exported through the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline fell from 2.8 million cubic meters per hour to 2.2 million cubic meters per hour, which is the minimum transit furing the summer time.
Rossiyskay Gazieta emphasized that the Yamal pipeline is the shortest path to deliver Russian gas supplies to the German clients.
Viedomostii reminded that Moscow assured that after opening the North European Gas Pipeline, gas transit from Russia to Germany via Belarus will not be decreased.
Interfax agency shall reported that Gazprom does not want to comment on the situation with the changes of the size of gas supplies to Europe.
The first branch of Nord Stream, which directly connects Russia with Germany via the Baltic Sea, was opened on November 8th. It will ultimately have a capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year (two threads, each 27.5 billion cubic meters.). The Russian side does not exclude the possibility of building another Nord Stream thread.
Yamal-Europe gas pipeline runs from Russia through Belarus and Poland to Germany. Its capacity is 32.9 billion cubic meters of gas annually.
Gazprom vice-president Alexander Medvedev announced in early November that the Russian company will not reduce gas transit through Belarus once operation of the North European Gas Pipeline starts.
“There won’t be any reduction of transit through Belarus, nor for technological neither for commercial reasons” – he said.
PAP
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