MOSCOW, July 1. /TASS/. In June 2022, the countries of the European Union for the first time in history imported more liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States than pipeline gas from Russia, according to Executive Director of IEA Fatih Birol.
"Russia's recent steep cuts in natural gas flows to the EU mean this is the 1st month in history in which the EU has imported more gas via LNG from the US than via pipeline from Russia. The drop in Russian supply calls for efforts to reduce EU demand to prepare for a tough winter," he wrote on Twitter.
According to data cited by him on Twitter, the volume of US LNG supplies to Europe in June amounted to around 5 bln cubic meters, while the volume of natural gas imports from Russia fell slightly below this figure.
In 5.5 months of 2022, Gazprom reduced its gas exports to non-CIS countries (including supplies to China) by 28.9% to 65.6 bln cubic meters.
Gazprom was also forced to reduce natural gas supplies over the Nord Stream pipeline lower than planned due to the delayed return of gas compressor units from repair by Siemens and malfunctions in technical engines, the Russian gas holding said on June 14. Siemens Energy said one of the gas turbines cannot be returned to Germany from Montreal due to Canada’s sanctions against Russia. As a result, gas throughput over the Nord Stream has been constrained to 40% of maximum capacity.
On April 27, Gazprom announced it has fully suspended gas supplies to the Bulgarian company Bulgargaz and the Polish PGNiG due to their failure to pay in rubles in due time. President Vladimir Putin Putin ordered on March 23 that unfriendly states must pay for Russian gas in rubles, saying that Moscow would refuse to accept payments under gas contracts with those states in "compromised" currencies, particularly meaning dollars and euros. On April 26 Gazprom submitted to Polish and Bulgarian importing companies a notification on suspension of gas supplies starting April 27 due to their refusal to make final payments in Russian rubles.