Gas supplies to Western Europe have stopped flowing through the Jamal gas pipeline. These were to decrease from Saturday. Supply disruptions are a problem mainly due to the coming winter and the associated increased demand for gas. Energy prices are now at record highs in Europe.
Gas does not flow into Europe via Jamal and energy prices are rising again. “Unfortunately, we will now witness a high rise in the price of gas. And that will then be transferred to the electricity market,” predicts economist Štěpán Křeček.
The Jamal gas pipeline supplies Russian gas to Germany via Poland and Belarus. It handles about a fifth of Russia’s gas supplies to the EU. According to experts, it is now important whether supplies will be resumed.
“At a time when gas supplies are not restored, we can get into a strong energy crisis, which could, in the extreme, end in a blackout. If we have talked about the energy crisis so far, then it would be an energy mega-crisis,” warns Křeček.
However, the immediate impact on gas supplies to the Czech Republic should not be significant. “The interruption of supplies should have only a small impact on the flow of gas to the Czech Republic, because the Czech Republic receives gas from other transmission routes,” explains NET4GAS spokesman Vojtěch Meravý.
However, Europe is experiencing a sharp rise in natural gas prices, also due to the reduction in Russian supplies. Moscow is facing charges that it is trying to push Germany and the European Union to start operating the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Russia rejects such claims.
“Gazprom officials say they would supply more, but that Europe is not buying. On the other hand, there are allegations that Russia is trying to use the situation to speed up Nord Stream 2,” said Karel Svoboda, an expert on Russia at Charles University’s Faculty of Social Sciences.
Russia-West relations are currently strained. Russia is gathering troops at the border with Ukraine, and NATO warns that the Russian army could invade the country at the beginning of the year.
Tereza Masopustová, sei, TN.cz
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