Slovak gas utility Slovenský Plynárenský Priemysel (SPP) is well-prepared to provide normal gas supplies to all consumers in Slovakia, including industrial ones, without any restrictions until the end of the winter period if gas supplies from Ukraine are again halted, according to SPP spokesperson Martina Greňová.
She said SPP was monitoring the situation closely and that since reports first appeared that another suspension of gas supplies from Ukraine could occur, SPP has taken trading and technical measures to ensure unrestricted supplies to all Slovak gas consumers, the TASR newswire reported.
“Our customers don’t have to worry. We took steps aimed at a real diversification in January, in the fields of technology and trade. From the technical point of view, we initiated reverse transport, which enables natural-gas supplies from the west. In the commercial sphere, we've concluded the first agreements with our shareholders, E.ON Rurgas and GDF SUEZ, that will provide alternative natural-gas supplies for Slovakia immediately if a crisis re-appears," said SPP managing board chairman Bernd Wagner.
SPP is able to secure normal supplies for all customers thanks to the natural-gas stored in its reserves, of which there is about 900 million cubic metres. A second option is the immediate initiation of reverse gas flows from the Czech Republic, which would provide gas from SPP shareholders and commercial partners to the west. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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