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announced the preparation of a "new package" of proposals together with the UN to restore the initiative and said that Ukraine "needs to soften its approach to joint steps with Russia". However, as a result of the negotiations, Putin emphasized that Russia is ready to revive the agreement after all of Moscow's conditions are met, including lifting restrictions on grain exports.
Gas consumption in Europe for eight months of this year decreased by 26bn cubic meters in comparison with the same period of 2022, Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller said on August 31. "As you know, energy consumption is an important indicator of the state of the economy. And we see that, for example, in Europe, gas consumption has been declining for the second year in a row. In 2022, it decreased by 56bn cubic meters of gas. And in eight months of this year, [it fell] by 26bn cubic meters in relation to the same period in 2022. We have spoken about the causes of the crisis in Europe more than once," he said. Meanwhile, China's gas imports increased over the eight months of this year. Earlier, the report of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) stated that in general, the total gas consumption in the EU in January-July decreased by 11% compared to the same period last year and amounted to 197bn cubic meters.
China's National Energy Administration called for the "orderly growth" of natural gas usage in a draft policy released on September 28, reaffirming an industry guideline that focuses on supply security. China, the world's biggest energy user, wants to boost the usage of natural gas as a key bridge fuel to reach its 2060 carbon-neutral goal, but it also wants to pace the growth of the sector to avoid supply shortages or get caught out by price shocks like last year's spike caused by the war in Ukraine. The draft proposes measures to improve how natural gas is priced, including through the implementation of a mechanism to link upstream and downstream prices, as well as differential gas pricing policies for regions of the country with large seasonal differences in demand. The policy also designates priority users, which include households; city-gas users such as hospitals and schools and industrial consumers and power generators.
9.1.1d LNG news
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) was successfully delivered to China via the Arctic Northern Sea Route for the first time ever in September, taking advantage of receding ice sheets that are making the route more accessible. Moscow is seeking to boost oil and gas deliveries to Asia. In an official statement, Gazprom announced, "For the first time, Gazprom has transported its own LNG production along the Northern Sea Route." The utilization of the Arctic route offers substantial advantages in terms of shipping duration, reducing it by more than a week compared to the conventional route through the Suez Canal in Egypt.
115 RUSSIA Country Report October 2023 www.intellinews.com