“Dress warm, hang blankets,” authorities are advising citizens in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria, a pro-Russian entity that broke away from the rest of Moldova after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. “There is no heating or hot water,” he told the Reuters from Tiraspol, Transnistria’s largest city, an employee of the local energy company Tirasteploenergo>
The definitive interruption of the supply of Russian natural gas to Europe through Ukraine, during the winter, has caused various reactions in the EU countries. and Eastern Europe, which until yesterday were supplied through Ukrainian pipelines.
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Non-EU Moldova is already facing shortages, while Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico has warned that cutting gas transit through Ukraine would have a “drastic” impact on EU countries.
The Commission tries to downplay the fact, announcing that it has already prepared for adequate supplies from alternative sources, however many are those who question the ability of the states of Central and Northern Europe to withstand the possibility of a heavy winter without Russian gas.
According to the BBC, while the immediate effects appear to be slight, the strategic and symbolic impact for the whole of Europe is enormous.
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Russia has lost a major market, but its president, Vladimir Putin, says EU countries will suffer the most.
Russian gas was less than 10% of EU gas imports in 2023, according to the bloc. This percentage was 40% in 2021.
However, several EU members, including Slovakia and Austria, continued to import significant quantities of natural gas from Russia.
Austria’s energy regulator said it did not foresee any outages as it had diversified sources and built up reserves.
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Moldova – which is not part of the EU – could be severely affected by the transit agreement ending. It generates much of its electricity at a power station powered by Russian gas.
Moldova’s energy minister, Constantin Borosan, said his government had taken steps to ensure a stable power supply, but called on citizens to conserve energy.
A 60-day state of emergency has been in effect in the energy sector since mid-December.
Hungary has also protested in recent weeks that the flow would stop on December 31, with no credible alternatives currently in place.
Alternative supply routes
Most other Russian routes to Europe are closed, including the Yamal-Europe pipeline through Belarus and Nord Stream in the Baltic Sea. An alternative is the TurkStream pipeline to Turkey via the Black Sea, but its capacity is limited.
The Czech Republic and Slovakia have secured connections through Germany, Poland and Hungary, while Austria has stepped up cooperation with other EU countries for natural gas supplies. However, it remains questionable whether these alternative routes will prove to be sufficient.
The Commission downplays the fact
The European Commission has downplayed the impact of today’s disruption of Russian gas exports to Europe via Ukraine, saying it was expected and that the European Union is prepared for it.
“The European gas infrastructure is flexible enough to provide gas of non-Russian origin to central and eastern Europe via alternative routes,” a Commission spokesman said.
“It has been strengthened from 2022 with new LNG import capabilities” (liquefied natural gas), he added.
Economic losses for Ukraine and Russia
Last year, Kremlin-owned gas giant Gazprom, which signed the transit deal with Ukraine’s Naftogaz in 2019, posted a $6.9 billion loss, its first in more than 20 years, due to reduced sales in Europe, it said Reuters. This is despite its efforts to boost exports to new buyer China.
Ukraine now faces the loss of about $800 million a year in transit fees from Russia, while Gazprom will lose nearly $5 billion in gas sales, according to the news agency. Several European countries that still buy Russian gas, such as Slovakia and Austria, had previously arranged alternative supply routes, Reuters reported.
Fitso: The disruption will have a “drastic” impact on EU countries.
The disruption of gas transit through Ukraine will have a “drastic” impact on European Union countries, but not on Russia, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said today.
The pro-Russian Slovak leader in question has repeatedly warned that ending the transit would cost Slovakia hundreds of millions of euros in lost transit revenue and higher costs for importing other gas, and has also argued that it would lead to higher gas and electricity prices in Europe.
Ficho had gone to Moscow on 22 December to try to find a solution to the problem.
Robert Fico
1.We will stop electricity supply to UA if we don’t get gas.
2. If someone wants to organize peace negotiations in Slovakia, we will be ready and hospitable.
3. By stopping gas transit, President Zelensky will cause billions of dollars in damage to the EU, including… pic.twitter.com/FjlOgyT6Ta— SlavicFreeSpirit (@SlavFreeSpirit) December 28, 2024
His surprise visit had angered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who accused Fitso of wanting to “help Putin”.
Besides, Gazprom is going to stop gas deliveries to Moldova from today as well, in the context of an economic conflict with this former Soviet republic, which re-elected a pro-European president.
The breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria cut off heating and hot water supplies to households today.
“There is no heating or hot water,” a worker at the local energy company Tisteploenergo told Reuters by phone from Tiraspol, Transnistria’s largest city, adding that she did not know how long the situation would last.
Transnistria is a pro-Russian entity that broke away from the rest of Moldova after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. It used to get Russian gas through Ukraine, but that supply route was closed today.
In a message on its website, the power company urged residents to dress in warm clothes, keep families together in the same room of the house, hang blankets or thick curtains from windows and patio doors and use electric heaters.
Austria, for its part, announced that it was ready to end the transit of gas through Ukraine and that it now supplies gas from other sources, such as supply points in Germany or Italy, as well as from storage facilities.
“We have done the right thing and are well prepared for this scenario,” Austrian Energy Minister Leonore Gewesl said in a statement.
Source: www.zougla.gr
