Gazprom reduces transit via Belarus

Gazprom company increases supply through the North Stream. At the same moment gas deliveries to Germany through the pipeline Yamal-Europe passing through Belarus have been cut down, despite assurances of the Russian side that after Nord Stream inauguration Belarusian pipe’s throughput would not suffer.

Soon after Nord Stream started operating, about 340 thousand cubic metres per hour were transported through it (which makes about 3 billion cubic metres on an annualized basis), the Gas Information Agency (AGI) witnessed.

Since the beginning of the gas day (9.00 a.m. Moscow time) on November 26 deliveries started to grow, and by the midday stabilized at the level of 590 thousand cubic metres (which is more than 5 billion cubic metres on an annualized basis).

However, this amount is manifold lower that the capacity of the opened first line (27.5 billion cubic metres per year) and pumping volume announced by the gas transportation company in the mid-term (1 million cubic metres per hour or 8-9 billion cubic metres per year).

As AGI was informed by a source in the industry, gas from Nord Stream is heard to be sold as it is of poor quality. It is related to the problems in functioning of the equipment preparing gas for transportation at the Portovaya compressor station on the Russian shore.

At the same time on Saturday morning the pressure in the entry of Yamal-Europe gas pipeline going to Germany was reduced: deliveries fell from 2.8 million to 2.2 million cubic metres per hour – which is actually the level of summer minimums. Unlike the Italian direction, deliveries to Germany do not have explicit weekly irregularity.

New levels of transportation via Nord Stream and Yamal-Europe were preserved on Sunday.

Gazprom has not commented on the situation so far.

A representative of the German side has not answered to the questions of AGI.

The day before, on November 25, Gazprom signed an agreement with the State Committee of Property of Belarus and bought 50 percent stake of Beltransgaz. Now it is a monopolist owning 100 per cent of the Belarusian gas transportation system. The annual throughput via Beltransgaz network makes 15-16 billion cubic metres per year.

Gazprom also owns the trunk of Belarusian transcontinental gas pipeline with the annual volume f transit of more than 30 billion cubic metres.