Gazprom stops supplying gas to Poland and Bulgaria
The Moscow offices of the Russian gas giant Gazprom in Moscow in September 2021 (photo illustration).
AFP - ALEXANDER NEMENOV
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
Warsaw does not want to pay its gas bill in roubles, so Russia closes the tap to Poland.
Gazprom carries out its threat and stops deliveries.
Up to half of Poland's gas imports came from Russia.
Not enough to worry the Polish authorities, however.
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With our correspondent in Warsaw,
Damien Simonart
Hardly had the halt in deliveries been confirmed, Polish Environment Minister Anna Moskwa assured her: Poland is "
ready for a complete cut
" in Russian gas imports.
According to the minister, the gas reservoirs are 76% full and the country does not yet need to tap into its reserves.
Polish households are therefore not afraid of being cold in the weeks to come.
In the longer term, Poland is preparing to diversify its gas imports.
The Baltic Pipe gas pipeline linking Norway to Poland will be inaugurated in the autumn.
Warsaw can also count on deliveries of liquid gases from the United States, by sea.
Not to mention the possibility of buying Russian gas from other European countries, Germany in the lead.
These certainties explain why Poland is pressuring the EU to impose a total embargo on Russian hydrocarbons.
In addition to gas, Warsaw has already given up on coal and announces that it wants to end Russian oil by the end of the year.
Bulgaria also announces the cessation of Gazprom deliveries
The Bulgarian group Bulgargaz was also informed on Tuesday by the Russian gas giant Gazprom of the cessation of its gas deliveries from Wednesday morning, said Tuesday the Ministry of Energy in Sofia, which specified that it had taken steps to ensure sufficient supplies.
No restrictions on gas consumption are needed at the moment, the ministry said, as Gazprom supplies 90% of Bulgaria's gas needs.
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See also The Baltic states have stopped importing Russian gas
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