Gas Deliveries To Hungary From Ukraine Halted

Storage facility can provide for up to 51 million cubic metres of gas a day, while Tuesday's consumption need is estimated at 68 mcm. Slovakia is prepared to declare a state of emergency, as the natural gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine cut supplies there by 70%, and plants had to be shut down in Bulgaria becomes of the gas crisis.

“Natural gas supplies for households will be without restriction under the current conditions in the state of emergency. Depending how the situation develops, other customers must be prepared, for a possible limitation of supplies," Slovakia's gas supplier SPP said in a statement.

Slovakia's Economy Minister Lubomir Jahnatek said the country's natural gas reserves would be enough for 70 days, but without detaching industrial users these would be used up in only 10 days.

According to information by news portal index.hu, initially two gas-fired power plants in Hungary will be transitionally switched to oil. Index said Dunamenti and Tisza II power plants have so far been obliged to cut gas usage.

Annual natural gas consumption in Hungary is 13-14 billion cubic metres, more than two thirds of which are directly or indirectly imported from Russia.

The capacity of the only local natural gas storage company, EON Földgáz Storage Zrt. is about 3.8 bn cm, but 200 mcm of this is strategic reserve.

There are currently around three billion cubic metres of natural gas in local natural gas storage units and another 500 mcm in two strategic storages.

Restrictions are to be implemented in Poland as well, given that it receives only 15% of the contractual volume. Austria needs to find out how to solve gas-related issues with only 10% of the agreed volume flowing in. Italy has to do the same with 20% of the expected volume. Deliveries to Bosnia-Herzegovina were cut by 25% and were halted to Greece, Macedonia, Romania and Turkey. Croatia has not received gas in the morning hours but since then deliveries have been restored."

Source: Portfolio Online Financial Journal