SLOVENSKÝ Plynárenský Priemysel (SPP) and E.ON Ruhrgas have signed a 10-year contract on natural gas supplies to Slovakia.
Under this contract, E.ON Ruhrgas will each year supply the gas utility SPP with up to 500 million cubic metres of gas from its western sources.
A similar long-term contract with GDF Suez has also been approved by company bodies and is expected to be finalised soon.
“For the first time, SPP has a stable, long-term contract for natural gas supplies from a source other than Russia,” Bernd Wagner, the outgoing chairman of the SPP board of directors said.
“It provides a sound basis for smooth and reliable supplies to our customers even in the event of an extraordinary or unexpected situation,” he added.
The two agreements will help to ensure that SPP customers receive the gas they need if supplies from Russia are cut off or reduced, while Gazprom Export of Russia, the company with which SPP has a long-term contract, will continue to be the company's main gas supplier.
