VNG hopes that Gazprom will not halt supplies through Belarus again :: Charter'97 :: News

East German gas company Verbundnetz Gas has expressed the hope that the halt in supplies of Russian gas through Belarus and Poland will not be repeated, company Director for Gas Purchases in Russia Toni Philipp said in Moscow Tuesday. "We look with optimism on the continuing supplies through the Belarussian corridor," he said. He said that this issue was discussed during a meeting in Moscow between VNG CEO Klaus-Ewald Holst and Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller.

He said that the reliability of supplies via the "northern corridor" through Poland and Belarus depends on resolving a range of gas issues in relations between Moscow and Minsk. "The Russian side has assured us that these will be regulated soon," Philipp said.

He said that due to the halt in supplies of Russian gas through Belarus, as a result of its unsanctioned removal, VNG was forced to increase gas supplies via the "southern corridor," through Ukraine. "If usually we receive 40% of Russian gas through Poland and 60% - though Ukraine, in the critical period in February when Gazprom halted supplies, the latter indicator was increased to 75%," Philipp said. He said that the gas shortage was also compensated for from gas supplies from an underground reservoir in Germany.

He spoke highly of Gazprom`s actions, in informing of the halt in gas supplies in a timely fashion. He said that at the moment gas supplies are being carried out in full through Belarus and Poland.