BRATISLAVA, June 9. /TASS/. Slovakia’s rejection of Russian natural gas imports will cost the country hundreds of millions of euros, Ondrej Sebesta, spokesman for the state-owned energy supplier Slovensky Plynarensky Priemysel (SPP), said in an interview with the Slovak newspaper Pravda.
"Russian natural gas supplies remain the most cost-effective option for us. Rejecting these imports could incur higher additional expenses, which will not be borne by Slovak consumers alone. In Slovakia, these inflated costs could reach hundreds of millions of euros," Sebesta said.
According to the spokesman, SPP is stepping up efforts to find alternatives to Russian gas. The company is currently in talks with 30 global natural gas suppliers and producers. Amid the evolving market conditions, the republic is primarily looking to secure liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments.
The European Union is set to impose a ban on Russian LNG imports starting January 1, 2027, with Russian pipeline gas imports slated to cease by the autumn of next year. In April, Slovak authorities filed a complaint with the EU Court of Justice against the ban on Russian gas deliveries to the country.