Page 13 - EurOil Week 05 2023

EurOil PERFORMANCE EurOil

Baltic states bought twice as

much Russian LPG last year

BALTICS RUSSIAN exporters have increased more than The energy ministries of Latvia and Estonia
twice sales of liquefied petroleum gas to the did not respond to requests for comment on
Some of the supply was Baltic states in 2022, some of which was sold on the data. The Lithuanian ministry declined to
sold on to Ukraine. to Ukraine, according to data from three trad- comment.
ing and freight-handling sources covering the Russia’s relations with the Baltic states have
region, euronews.com reported. worsened sharply since Moscow launched what
The leap in purchases of Russian LPG came it calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine
despite sharp condemnation of Moscow’s last February. Russia and Estonia expelled each
actions in Ukraine from the three Baltic states, all other’s ambassadors on Tuesday, and Latvia also
Nato and European Union members, as Europe downgraded relations with Russia.
struggles to find fresh sources of the fuel in a According to the data, Russian LPG supplies
tight global market. to Latvia accounted for 90% of the country’s total
LPG, which is mainly used as fuel for cars, LPG imports in 2022, while Lithuania got half of
heating and to produce other petrochemicals, its intake from Russia and the rest from Latvia,
has been exempt from sweeping Western sanc- euronews.com said.
tions imposed against Russia over Ukraine. Traders said excess volumes of LPG had
According to Reuters calculations based on been sold on from the Baltics to Ukraine in
data collected from the three traders and freight recent months. They said Latvia and Lithua-
handlers covering the region, Russia boosted nia supplied some 15,000 tonnes to Ukraine
LPG combined sales to Latvia, Lithuania and in December alone, accounting for 15% of
Estonia to 331,000 tonnes from 159,000 tonnes Ukraine’s total LPG imports that month.
in 2022. They said LPG from Russia is much cheaper
The increase came as Ukraine and some other than supplies from other countries such as
countries refused to buy the Russia-sourced fuel Poland and Romania, as export options have
directly. been limited since Russia entered Ukraine.
Russian LPG sales to Latvia rose by 77% to Other traders said that Ukraine also buys
232,000 tonnes, while supplies to Lithuania LPG directly from Lithuania’s Mazeikiu
jumped 8.5 times to 72,000 tonnes and sales Nafta plant, which is owned by Poland’s
to Estonia increased by 42% to 27,000 tonnes Orlen, though its total share in fuel supplies
last year, according to the data and Reuters to Ukraine is relatively small, euronews.com
calculations. said. ™

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