In a recent development, some traders have begun importing Russian gas into the Czech Republic since October, according to Jozef Síkela (STAN), Minister of Industry and Trade. He shared this news on a social media platform, stating that Russian gas accounted for 79.6 million cubic meters, or 1.2 percent, of the total volume of supplies from January to October this year. The specifics about the importers are considered a trade secret.
Russian gas has begun to flow into the Czech Republic, which is evident from the data from the gas transfer station in Lanžhot in the South Moravian region. “Since the beginning of October, gas at this border station no longer flows from the Czech Republic to Slovakia as before, but from Slovakia to the Czech Republic. And that in a volume of up to 100 gigawatt-hours per day,” said Lukáš Kovanda, the leading economist of Trinity Bank, referring to information from the Bloomberg agency. According to him, up to 40 percent of the gas imported into the Czech Republic comes from Russia.
Given that some countries still rely on Russian gas, its import into the EU is not subject to sanctions, Síkela noted. However, he added, “I would consider it correct for consumers to be informed whether they are buying gas from suppliers who purchase Russian gas.”
Earlier this year, the flow of Russian gas into the Czech Republic had ceased, according to information from the ministry. The state replaced it with gas from Norway and liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Netherlands and Belgium. In previous years, the share of Russian gas was around 97 percent.
Síkela suggests, “It is necessary to consider whether to introduce restrictive measures at the national level or to continue coordinating our approach within the entire EU.”