Page 147 - RusRPTMar23

BGN88mn due to Gazprom’s decision to halt supplies of natural gas at the end of April 2022. At the end of April last year, Gazprom halted supplies to Bulgaria, after the then government of prime minister Kiril Petkov refused to start paying in rubles. That was in accordance with EU’s decision at the time. In June, Petkov’s government lost a no-confidence vote and stepped down at the end of July. Many say that it was the government’s active effort policy towards independence from Russia that had provoked the no-confidence vote.
A German top official says no evidence of Russian sabotage of Nord Stream pipeline. German investigators currently have no evidence that Russia is behind the explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, German Attorney General Peter Frank told Die Welt. Frank said Russian involvement couldn’t be proven "at the moment" as the investigations are ongoing.
Lithuanian imports of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) from Russia increased 8.5-fold in 2022, BNS agency reported on February 1. According to the report, in January-December 2022 Lithuanian companies imported 60,600 metric tonnes of LPG from Russia with an annual growth of 8.5-fold. In monetary terms, imports increased 9.4-fold or by 37.2mn euro. Liquefied petroleum gas varieties are used primarily for refueling gas-powered vehicles and in households. Liquefied petroleum gas is not included in the EU sanctions list, but the Lithuanian Ministry of Economy does not support its purchases in Russia due to the special military operation.
US gas executives say European buyers have largely not been willing to commit to new multi-decade supply deals needed to underpin a fresh wave of project construction on the Gulf of Mexico that would further lift supply in the coming years. European buyers are fearful of their governments telling them they can’t buy hydrocarbons 15 or 20 years from now. The long- term contracts, which can be worthbns of dollars over decades, were needed to secure funding from banks to cover the “monstrous cost” of building new LNG plants. The European Commission and White House last year agreed a deal under which the US would try to send more LNG to Europe — but only until 2030. The EU aims to be net-emissions free by 2050 and wants to replace Russian gas with a huge buildout of clean energy capacity in the coming years. Nearly a year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, only one of more than a dozen prospective US LNG export projects has secured enough buyers to commit to building their facility. US gas developers are instead turning their focus to potential buyers in China, South Korea, India and elsewhere in Asia where fossil fuel appetite is still expected to grow.
The share of Russian gas in Austria's imports soared to 71% in December from 41% in November, the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology said February 16.
Chinese demand is the “big unknown,” a bullish scenario could see the country’s liquefied natural gas imports surge as much as 35% in 2023 if
147 RUSSIA Country Report March 2023 www.intellinews.com