Slovakia bypasses Russia to secure gas for winter, but it will be costly

Slovakia has enough gas for the whole heating season, until the end of March 2023. Its underground gas storage facilities have been filled to 49 percent of its capacity, the second highest level in the EU after Lithuania.

General director of the state-owned gas utility Slovenský Plynárenský Priemysel (SPP) Richard Prokypčák says the country has enough gas to survive the winter without restrictions for households and industry, even without a drop of Russian gas.

The cutting off of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, where gas stopped flowing on Monday, July 11, does not pose a threat for Slovakia. Gazprom, the pipeline operator, says the halt is due to a planned regular maintenance that should be finished in ten days.

Yet it cannot be ruled out that Gazprom will not restore proper operation due to the geopolitical games of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his military aggression in Ukraine. France and Germany have warned this is a possibility.

Germany would be hit hard, Slovakia would feel it too