Bloggers claim that Russian special forces attacked Ukrainian forces at Kursk via a gas pipeline
Pro-Russian bloggers claimed that Russian special forces snuck miles through a large gas pipeline near Sudzha to try to surprise Ukrainian troops as part of a massive offensive to eject Ukrainian soldier from the western Russian region Kursk. In August of last year, thousands of Ukrainian soldiers took over about 1,300 sq km of Russia's Kursk Region in an effort to gain bargaining power in future negotiations as well as to force Russia to withdraw its military forces from eastern Ukraine. In its daily report on the situation at Kursk, the Russian Defence Ministry stated that its forces had retaken Lebedevka and also seized Novenke…
The price of gas in Europe has recovered from a new 5-month low
The European wholesale gas price at the TTF hub has rebounded after dropping to its lowest level in 5 months early in trade, amid protests against gas infrastructure in Ukraine. LSEG data shows that the benchmark front-month contract for the Dutch TTF Hub rose to 39.94 Euros per megawatt hour or MWh, or $12.71/mmBtu at 09:39 GMT. It traded at 36.45 Euros/MWh earlier on Friday. This was its lowest price since September 27, 2024. The British front-month contracts also hit a low of five months and traded at 91 pence a therm, 3.04 pence less. The British day-ahead contracts was up 1.75 cents at 95 p/therm.
The benchmark Dutch gas price has fallen on EU's Ukraine gas transport push
Dutch wholesale gas fell below 40 euro ($43.31), for the first time in this year, after news broke that European leaders were set to ask EU authorities and Kyiv intensify their talks to resolve an end to Russian gas transiting through Ukraine. By 1606 GMT, the benchmark front-month contract for the Dutch TTF hub had fallen by 2.15 euros to 38.85 euros/MWh, or $12.26/mmBtu. LSEG data show that the contract reached 38.48 Euros in early trade, its lowest since November 2024. The contract for May fell by 3.24 euros, to 38.62 Euro/MWh. The British day-ahead contract fell 4 pence to 95 pence/therm.
Hungary wants to remove eight people from EU sanctions against Russia
EU diplomats say that Hungary wants to remove 8 individuals from the European Union’s Russia sanctions list, and to receive new guarantees regarding Ukraine gas transit negotiations before it agrees to renew restrictions. EU sanctions against Russia, imposed because of Moscow's war on Ukraine, must be renewed by unanimous vote every six months. Budapest has used this renewal as a bargaining opportunity. Peter Szijjarto, the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, wrote on Facebook on Monday that Budapest "would not consent to moving forward" in extending sanctions against individuals.
Operator data indicates that Ukraine will double its gas imports by Wednesday
Data provided by the operator for the state-owned gas transmission system revealed that Ukraine intends to double its daily imports of gas on Wednesday, to 5 million cubic meters (mcm). The operator did explain the reason for the increase. However, temperatures in central Ukraine can fall to minus five degrees Celsius (23 degree Fahrenheit) at this time of the year. Ukraine imports large volumes of gas, and it has underground storage facilities to meet the demand for winter heating. After the Russian gas transit through Ukraine was stopped at the beginning of this year…
Moldova Gaz: Moldova sends first 3 mcm gas to Transdniestria
The company Moldovagaz said that it shipped the first 3 million cubic meters of natural gas to the Russian-backed separatist Transdniestria on Saturday. These were the first deliveries after the Russian gas transit via Ukraine was halted. The pro-Moscow enclave in which Russia has sent troops to support the breakaway administration has been without power and heat since New Year's Day. This is because Ukraine refused to renew the transit agreement for Russian gas after almost three years of conflict between Kyiv & Moscow. Vadim ceban, CEO of Moldovagaz…
Moldova will ship the first 3 mcm gas to breakaway regions on Saturday, says company
A Moldovan official in the industry said that the country will be sending 3 million cubic meters (mcms) of gas on Saturday to its separatist Transdniestria. This is the first fuel delivery to the region since the end of December, when the gas transit through Ukraine ceased. The morning delivery is to be made to the Transdniestrian Gas System, which already has a gas shortage to maintain pressure. Vadim Ceban, CEO of Moldovagaz, said that the contract between Tiraspoltransgaz and Moldovagaz stipulates that this amount of gas will be provided to Tiraspoltransgaz as a debt due by March 1, 2025. Since Jan.
EUROPE GAS - Prices at a new 15-month high due to cold weather and restocking fears
The Dutch and British wholesale prices of gas rose on Friday morning to a new 15-month high as the cold weather forecasts increased demand. There were also concerns about storage refilling due to tightness on the market. According to LSEG, the benchmark front-month contract for the Dutch TTF hub rose by 0.78 euros at 51.60 Euros per Megawatt Hour (MWh), which is $15.80/mmBtu at 0948 GMT. This was its highest level since October 20, 2023. The Dutch March contract increased by 0.50 euros to 52.22 Euro/MWh. The front-month contract in Britain rose by 2.25 cents to 132.00 pence per therm.
Orban: Hungary will block EU Russia sanctions the next time, unless Ukraine gas is transited again.
Hungarian Prime Minster Viktor Orban warned on Friday that he would block the next rollover in EU sanctions against Russia, unless Brussels helped achieve a restart of Russian Gas Transit via Ukraine which was stopped on January 1. Orban said on state radio that Ukraine's decision to stop Russian gas transit into Central Europe, and the price hike that resulted from it, was "unacceptable". The transit agreement expired, and Russian gas exports through pipelines in Ukraine ceased. Kyiv has refused to negotiate another transit agreement as the war against Russia's invasion enters its third year.
Hungary wants Ukraine to resume gas transit as EU sanctions are about to roll over
Viktor Orban, the Prime Minister of Hungary, said that the European Union should persuade Ukraine so it can resume the transit of gas from Russia into Europe. This is a controversial issue as the EU tries to extend sanctions against Russia in the next week. Hungary has yet to decide whether it will support the rollover of sanctions due at the end this month. The EU must renew sanctions every six-months and require unanimity from its 27 members to do so. Orban, who has a government that maintains closer economic and politic relations with Moscow than any other EU country…
Russia launches new missiles at Ukraine and targets its gas infrastructure
Russia has launched another barrage of drones and missiles against Ukraine, this time targeting the gas infrastructure in western regions. This is the latest attack on Ukraine's crippled power system just as winter approaches. Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, said that Russian forces used over 70 drones and 40 missiles in the morning's attack. He said that Ukrainian air defences had shot down 30 missiles or more. "Another massive Russian assault. "It's winter and the Russians are still targeting our energy infrastructure," Zelenskiy wrote in a post on X Platform.
Separatists pro-Russians in Moldova extend state of emergencies amid gas cuts
Transdniestria, a separatist region in Moldova backed by Moscow and afflicted with an energy shortage after losing its access to Russian gas that has sustained its economy for decades, extended the state of emergency for another month on Friday. Gazprom, a Russian company, suspended its gas exports to Transdniestria at the beginning of January. The reason given was unpaid Moldovan bills totaling $709 million. Moldova denies that debt, and claims Moscow is provoking a crisis in order to undermine the pro-Western government. Moscow says that Russia used to provide gas to Transdniestria through Ukraine.
The Moldovan President visits the area affected by blackouts and blames Russia's Gazprom
On Thursday, the Moldovan president Maia Sandu visited areas that were experiencing rolling power outages and blamed Russian Gas giant Gazprom. The energy crisis in the pro-Russian enclave of Transdniestria is a result of this. Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson in Moscow, said that Moldova and Ukraine are responsible for the power and heating shortages. The foreign minister of Finland met with officials in both government-controlled Moldova and the separatist enclave and pledged to help both sides achieve a settlement. Transdniestria has been receiving Russian gas for over 30 years. However, Ukraine refused to extend the gas transit agreement past New Year's Day.
Germany's DET confirms Q1 bookings of LNG capacity at two terminals
The German company Deutsche Energy Terminal (DET), which operates the LNG terminals in Brunsbuettel and Wilhelmshaven, has announced that it successfully sold three LNG slots for each of its Wilhelmshaven locations for the first quarter of this year. The pipeline gas supply from Russia into central Europe ceased on January 1, so some countries affected are now relying on other supply routes and increased LNG deliveries. In an email, the company stated that "On Monday, Dec. The operator initially announced that Wilhelmshaven, on the German North Sea coast, would be idle for the first quarter but decided to offer capacity in the end.
After gas cutoff, the breakaway region of Moldova faces prolonged blackouts
Local authorities reported that Saturday saw a longer period of rolling power outages in Transdniestria (the pro-Russian breakaway region of Moldova), which is now without Russian gas because it no longer transits through Ukraine. The flow of Russian gas through Ukraine into central and eastern Europe ceased on New Year's Day, after the transit agreement between the two warring nations expired and Kyiv refused a renewal. Transdniestria is a predominantly Russian-speaking enclave that has lived alongside Moldova since it broke away in the final days of Soviet rule. It received gas from Russian company Gazprom via the pipeline which crosses Ukraine.
Officials say that the breakaway region of Moldova will face new power outages on Saturday.
Local authorities have confirmed that power cuts will continue in Transdniestria on Saturday. The region, which is a breakaway Moldovan region, has been left without Russian supplies after Ukraine decided not to renew a contract for Russian transit gas. After the expiration of the transit agreement, Kyiv refused to do business with Moscow. Transdniestrian officials announced that the first rolling blackouts had begun on Friday night. The region that is mainly Russian-speaking, located along the Moldova-Ukraine frontier and that split from Moldova in 1990, received Russian gas through Ukraine and used it for electricity production.
Russia stops gas exports via Ukraine to Europe
The transit agreement has expired, according to Gazprom. Gas exports from Russia via Ukraine have been stopped as of 08:00 Moscow Time (0500 GMT). The closure of Russia's longest gas route to Europe brings an end to a decade-long fraught relationship sparked by Russia s 2014 seizure Crimea. The TurkStream pipeline, which runs along the Black Sea bed, is still used by Russia to export gas. After the start of the conflict in Ukraine, in 2022, the European Union increased its efforts in order to reduce its dependency on Russian energy by looking for alternative sources. The gas transit agreement between Russia and Ukraine, which lasted five years, expired on Jan.
Prices of EUROPE GAS are rising as the Ukraine Gas Transit Agreement expires
The Dutch and British wholesale prices of gas rose slightly on Tuesday morning, as the weather forecast for this week is colder and Russian gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine are expected to cease. According to LSEG, the benchmark front-month contract for the Dutch TTF Hub increased by 0.38 euros to 48.23 Euro per megawatt hour at 0913 GMT. The TTF contract for February was up by 0.33 euros to 48.55 Euro/MWh. Gazprom, a Russian gas company, said that it would pump a smaller volume of gas into Europe via Ukraine starting Tuesday. The…
As the gas transit dispute escalates, Ukraine's Zelenskiy lashes out at Slovak Prime Minister Fico
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico of opening a second energy front against Ukraine at the behest of Russia as the dispute over gas transit between the two countries intensified. Ukraine currently pumps Russian gas to Slovakia and other European countries through its territory. However, the current transit agreement - which was signed before Moscow invaded Ukraine - will expire at the end this year. Fico, who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week in Moscow…
Austria Energy Regulator expects smooth transition when Ukraine gas deal ends
Austrian energy regulator E-Control says that it should not experience any disruption in supply as it is preparing to switch from eastern natural gas supplies to western alternatives following the expiration of Ukraine's Gazprom contract on Tuesday. Ukraine announced that it would terminate its gas transit agreement with Gazprom. This month, energy company OMV also ended its agreement with Gazprom after a dispute with the Russian firm. Markus Krug is the deputy head of E-Control's gas department. He said that the regulator closely followed the events but didn't anticipate any disruptions to gas supply…
