Russia will resume gas shipments to Italy after suspending them on Saturday over a “problem” in Austria, where Russian gas passes through, Russian gas giant Gazprom announced on Wednesday. Gazprom, in collaboration with Italian buyers, managed to find a solution for the interaction format in the conditions of “regulatory changes on the Austrian side that occurred” at the end of September and that had caused the suspension of supplies to the Italian peninsula Gazprom said in a statement.
Absence of monetary guarantee from Gazprom
Gazprom had completely suspended its gas deliveries to Italy’s Eni since Saturday, citing the “impossibility of transporting gas through Austria” due to new regulations that came into force on October 1. However, most of the Russian gas delivered to Italy passes through Ukraine, through the TAG pipeline that reaches Tarvisio in the north of the country, on the border with Austria.
The Austrian sector regulator, E-Control, “has (he) announced that it is ready to confirm Gazprom Export’s transport appointments, allowing the resumption of Russian gas deliveries through Austrian territory,” Gazprom congratulated the Wednesday.
Eni “reports that the gas flows supplied by Gazprom have resumed today”, confirmed the Italian giant, celebrating in a press release “the resolution, by Eni and the interested parties, of the restrictions resulting from the new regulations introduced by the Austrian regulatory authorities.” E-Control had called in recent days for the powerful Russian gas company to “comply” with the new regulations and “take the necessary measures to fulfill its contractual obligations.”
No geopolitical explanations
On Monday, the Italian hydrocarbon giant Eni for its part declared itself willing to pay a guarantee of 20 million euros to unblock the suspension and resume the delivery of some 20 million cubic meters of Russian gas per day.
Asked on Wednesday about a possible payment made by the Italian side, Eni had not yet communicated by mid-morning.
Source: BFM TV
