Jakarta –
Russian gas company Gazprom is rumored to be cutting gas shipments to Italy to just half from 63 million cubic meters per day. This was conveyed by the Italian energy giant Eni.
This incident makes Italy the next victim of Russian gas after other countries, so it may declare a state of alert next week if these restrictions continue, two government sources told Reuters. ).
These restrictions will certainly trigger Italy to take action to reduce gas consumption, including gas rationing for certain industrial users, increasing production at coal-fired power plants and asking for gas imports from other suppliers.
Apart from Italy, Slovakia also reported receiving less than half its normal gas volume via the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline last Friday. Meanwhile, France has not received Russian gas from Germany since June 15. Even so, the country gets supplies from elsewhere.
Germany accuses Gazprom of trying to push up energy prices by sharply reducing supply. This is certainly different from the statement of the energy company. It said this was due to delays in returning its equipment by Germany’s Siemens Energy in Canada. As such, he thinks Nord Stream’s plumbing repairs are to blame.
For additional information, Russia is a supplier of 40% of the European Union’s natural gas. It also supplies 27% of the EU’s imported oil needs and the bloc pays Russia around €400 billion (Rp 6.22 thousand trillion) per year in return.
The EU has recently taken steps to stop Russia’s use of fossil fuels in response to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, which banned most oil imports by the end of 2022.
Therefore, the EU has committed to reducing gas imports from Russia by two-thirds within a year. Even so, it is difficult to reach agreement with member states on further measures, such as outright import bans.
Member states have been urged to stockpile gas during the summer months leading up to winter, when demand for the fuel increases. But Russia’s latest move to reduce its natural gas supply has deepened their fears that Europe may struggle to meet its gas needs.
On the other hand, Nord Stream 1 is scheduled to receive annual maintenance between 11 and 21 July, during which this activity will stop all gas flows.
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