Filenews 11 May 2022
Gas flows at Sokhranivka's entry point on the Russia-Ukraine border came to a halt this morning, the first serious disruption to the gas transmission system to Europe since Russia's invasion of February 24, Bloomberg reported.
The transport of Russian gas through the entry point of Sokhranivka has been interrupted as Russian occupation forces disrupt the station's operations, according to the Ukrainian management company. The head of the company said yesterday that larger quantities can be transported from the entry point of Sudzha, which remains under Ukrainian control, but Russia's Gazprom argued that this is technically unattainable.
However, flows through the Sudzha station have increased, tempering concerns to some extent. Although gas prices were found to jump to 6.8% in the morning, they are currently retreating by more than 2%.
The Ukrainian GTSOU - the operator of the gas system in the country - announced yesterday that it is cutting off the transport of Russian gas from the entry point of Sokhranivka, a consequence of force majeure as it cannot control the infrastructure in the occupied areas.
Ukraine has announced that it can no longer accept Russian gas through Sokhranivka from 7 a.m., local time. Transit orders have already fallen to zero, but flows from the Sudzha route are expected to increase by 12% from the previous day, bloomberg reported.
This is the first time that the war in Ukraine has affected gas deliveries to Europe. Russian gas was normally channelled from both points of entry despite the collision, albeit for the most part, at lower rates than those provided for in the transit agreement.
Sokhravinka's plant manages about a third of the gas flows entering Ukraine. The rest passes through the Sudzha station, which is further away from the occupied ones in Eastern Ukraine.
One of the two points of entry of Russian gas into Ukraine was closed
Reduced flows
Russian gas flows to Europe through Ukraine are retreating by nearly 25% after the shutdown at the Sokhravinka plant, according to Reuters.
Gazprom announced that it continues to send natural gas to Europe through Ukraine, but volumes stood at 72 million cubic meters on Wednesday from 95.8 million cubic metres on Tuesday.
The data that Gazprom has made available today show that only the point of Sudzha is used, the agency adds.
But the Ukrainian side also says that the volume of Russian gas is currently 72 million cubic metres, noting that on May 11, 2021, the corresponding volume was at 124.6 million cubic metres.
