Central Europe Adjusts Gas Flows as Ukraine Transit Halts
(Reuters) — Central European gas flows have adapted to the halt of Russian supplies through Ukraine on Jan. 1, as increased shipments to the region from Germany and Italy make up the shortfall, data from network operators showed on Monday.
Austria received gas through Slovakia until the year-end even though its contracted supplies from Russian gas giant Gazprom had stopped in November.
Austrian Grid Management said in a daily report on Monday the country boosted imports from Germany and Italy when flows from Slovakia were halted following the expiry of a transit agreement between Russia and Ukraine that Kyiv refused to extend.
Gas also stopped flowing through Slovakia and on to the Czech Republic, while Slovakia has drawn on a connection with Hungary as its only source of imports so far this year.
Deliveries from Gazprom for Slovakia's own use under a long-term contract with the main Slovak supplier SPP, which covers around two thirds of the Slovak market, also stopped as the Ukraine transit ended.
Slovak gas transmission network operator Eustream data showed nominations for daily flows to Slovakia from Hungary were at 87 gigawatt hours (GWh) for Monday, the highest since the start of January.
This was below peak levels around 100 GWh in late 2024, but the lack of exports to Austria and the Czech Republic showed that the volumes were staying in Slovakia.
SPP has said the Hungarian route, used to bring gas from Russia through the TurkStream pipeline, was an important alternative in absence of the Ukraine flows.
It has said, however, that its preferred alternative would be through Germany and on to the Czech Republic or Austria. Network data showed that so far this route has not been used.
It did not respond to request for comment on Monday.
The Czech Republic, whose importers have no direct contracts with Gazprom, has switched back to taking gas from the German network.
The Czechs almost completely stopped using Russian gas in 2023, but imports from the east rose in 2024, which market participants attributed to a German levy on transit which made shipping costs from the west higher.
The levy was cancelled for transit since Jan. 1, easing the switch to western supplies.
Data from transmission system operator NET4GAS showed nominations for 177 gigawatt hours of gas from Germany to the Czech Republic on Monday, and no gas exiting the country.
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