The supply of Russian gas through the Yamal-Europe pipeline has been suspended. This was reported by the private Polish television Polsat news and the portal onet.pl, quoted by Reuters, citing sources.
Gazprom does not confirm the report that the supply of Russian gas to Poland has already been suspended, TARS quotes the press secretary of the holding Sergei Kupriyanov.
However, the concern stressed that “today Poland is obliged to pay for gas supplies in accordance with the new payment procedure.”
Polish energy company PGNiG (PGNiG), which buys gas from Gazprom under a long-term contract ending this year, said Gazprom had informed it of the suspension of gas supplies tomorrow, April 27, at 08:00 CET (09:00 BST).
The physical flow of gas through the Yamal-Europe pipeline from Belarus to Poland was 0 kilowatt-hours as of 17:00 BST today, down from 52,634,785 kilowatt-hours at the beginning of today. This is stated in the data of the European Network of Transmission System Operators, BTA notes.
A crisis headquarters has gathered at the Polish Ministry of Climate. Poland has repeatedly stated that it will not accept Russia’s demand to pay in rubles for gas it buys from Gazprom, Reuters reports.
Moscow has warned Europe that it could cut off gas supplies if they are not paid for in rubles. The European Commission has said companies must continue to pay in the currency approved in their contracts with Gazprom, which is 97% euro or dollars.
Earlier today, Poland announced a list of 50 Russian oligarchs and companies, including Gazprom, that will be subject to sanctions under a law passed this month that allows their assets to be frozen. This law is separate and is not part of the joint sanctions imposed on Moscow by EU countries.
Natural gas supplies from Russia to Poland are carried out under the so-called Yamal Treaty of 1996, reminds TARS. It provides for the supply of 10 billion cubic meters. m of gas per year, with a minimum annual contract volume of 8.7 billion cubic meters. m per year. In 2021, according to Russian data, the supply of Russian gas to Poland increased by 9.4% to 10.58 billion cubic meters. The contract expires at the end of 2022, and the Polish authorities announced a few years ago that Warsaw would not renew it.
Poland consumes 20 billion cubic meters of gas annually. According to Polish officials, there is a possibility to avoid Russian gas through the purchase of liquefied natural gas in the United States and Qatar, as well as supplies from gas fields on the Norwegian shelf.