Russia resumed supplies of gas to Europe as observer teams began measuring gas flows through Ukraine in an effort to mediate the ongoing standoff between Moscow and Kiev. The EU welcomed the announcement. Ukraine's Naftogaz said it had received a fax from Gazprom informing it 76 million cubic meters of gas had been sent through the pipelines "at 10 am Moscow time," news agency Itar-Tass reported. But experts say it could take up to three days for gas pumped from Siberia to reach Europe, where thousands of people have been left without heat in one of the coldest winters the continent has seen in a decade. "It is only a portion of the necessary flows," a source in the company told Itar-Tass. Russia supplies an average of 350 million cubic meters of gas to Europe in the winter months.
Ukraine's Naftogaz said it had received a fax from Gazprom informing it 76 million cubic meters of gas had been sent through the pipelines "at 10 am Moscow time," news agency Itar-Tass reported.
But experts say it could take up to three days for gas pumped from Siberia to reach Europe, where thousands of people have been left without heat in one of the coldest winters the continent has seen in a decade.
"It is only a portion of the necessary flows," a source in the company told Itar-Tass.
Russia supplies an average of 350 million cubic meters of gas to Europe in the winter months.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Zero Russian gas had reached the EU via Ukraine as of 17:00 pm Brussels time on Tuesday (13 January), as a Russian-Ukrainian transit deal began to unravel amid allegations of "blackmail" and "cynicism." "Nothing, not one drop has reached the EU," a European Commission spokesman told EUobserver. "High level [diplomatic] contact has resumed and the situation is changing every minute. But there is no gas so far." Firewood: people in eastern Europe are turning to more basic ways to heat their homes Russia says it restarted EU supplies at 8:30 am Brussels time on Tuesday morning, with a 22-man team of EU monitors in Moscow, Kiev and remote pumping stations reporting a slight increase in pressure in the morning followed by decline. The latest problem is linked to "technical gas" - the residual gas in Ukrainian pipelines required to enable transportation of Russian gas to the EU. Under an agreement between Kiev and Moscow, Ukrainian state-owned gas company Naftogaz is obliged to provide the technical gas but has not done so.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Zero Russian gas had reached the EU via Ukraine as of 17:00 pm Brussels time on Tuesday (13 January), as a Russian-Ukrainian transit deal began to unravel amid allegations of "blackmail" and "cynicism."
"Nothing, not one drop has reached the EU," a European Commission spokesman told EUobserver. "High level [diplomatic] contact has resumed and the situation is changing every minute. But there is no gas so far."
Firewood: people in eastern Europe are turning to more basic ways to heat their homes
Russia says it restarted EU supplies at 8:30 am Brussels time on Tuesday morning, with a 22-man team of EU monitors in Moscow, Kiev and remote pumping stations reporting a slight increase in pressure in the morning followed by decline.
The latest problem is linked to "technical gas" - the residual gas in Ukrainian pipelines required to enable transportation of Russian gas to the EU.
Under an agreement between Kiev and Moscow, Ukrainian state-owned gas company Naftogaz is obliged to provide the technical gas but has not done so.
Just hours after Russia resumed delivery of natural gas to the European Union through Ukrainian pipelines, Kiev has admitted to blocking the supplies. Ukraine is claiming that Gazprom has established "unacceptable" conditions for the transit of the gas to Europe. Calm in the gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine lasted for only a few hours on Tuesday. After six days of blocking supplies, Russia began pumping natural gas through Ukraine at 8 a.m., bound for European Union customers. A gas pumping station in Russia: The valves have been opened and energy supplies are flowing to Europe again. But before the supplies could even get to the EU, the pipelines were reportedly shut down again. European Union observers in place to monitor gas flows said they had measured "little or no gas" in Ukraine. They said it was too early to draw conclusions from the observation, but the situation "is obviously very serious and must be improved quickly." Kiev soon admitted that it had, in fact, blocked the transit of Russian gas through its territory, citing "unacceptable conditions for transit" that had been imposed by Gazprom, a spokesperson for Ukraine's state-owned Naftogaz, which manages the pipelines, told the French news agency AFP.
Just hours after Russia resumed delivery of natural gas to the European Union through Ukrainian pipelines, Kiev has admitted to blocking the supplies. Ukraine is claiming that Gazprom has established "unacceptable" conditions for the transit of the gas to Europe.
Calm in the gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine lasted for only a few hours on Tuesday. After six days of blocking supplies, Russia began pumping natural gas through Ukraine at 8 a.m., bound for European Union customers.
A gas pumping station in Russia: The valves have been opened and energy supplies are flowing to Europe again.
But before the supplies could even get to the EU, the pipelines were reportedly shut down again. European Union observers in place to monitor gas flows said they had measured "little or no gas" in Ukraine. They said it was too early to draw conclusions from the observation, but the situation "is obviously very serious and must be improved quickly."
Kiev soon admitted that it had, in fact, blocked the transit of Russian gas through its territory, citing "unacceptable conditions for transit" that had been imposed by Gazprom, a spokesperson for Ukraine's state-owned Naftogaz, which manages the pipelines, told the French news agency AFP.
Britain close to low gas alert Reserves have fallen to less than a week's supply of UK needs BRITAIN'S gas network operator is on the verge of issuing an emergency alert that could lead to cuts for industrial users and potentially affect Ireland, which takes 90% of its supply from Britain. The National Grid in Britain said it could issue the "gas balancing alert" in the next two to three days because reserves had fallen to less than a week's supply of UK needs. Suppliers were forced to dip into reserves last week after energy companies began siphoning gas out of Britain to supply other parts of Europe.
BRITAIN'S gas network operator is on the verge of issuing an emergency alert that could lead to cuts for industrial users and potentially affect Ireland, which takes 90% of its supply from Britain.
The National Grid in Britain said it could issue the "gas balancing alert" in the next two to three days because reserves had fallen to less than a week's supply of UK needs.
Suppliers were forced to dip into reserves last week after energy companies began siphoning gas out of Britain to supply other parts of Europe.
