Slovakia diversifies gas imports with TurkStream amid tensions
Slovakia began receiving Russian gas through Turkey after Ukraine halted deliveries through its territory. This decision by Kyiv aimed to deprive Moscow of revenue from the sale of this energy resource and hinder the conduct of the invasion.
Slovakia is almost entirely dependent on the import of natural gas. Domestic production covers only 1% of demand, which amounts to an average of 5 billion cubic metres of gas annually.
The authorities in Bratislava were forced to seek a new route for gas supplies after Ukraine stopped transmitting Russian gas to the west at the beginning of the year. As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated, this decision was intended to deprive Moscow of revenue used to finance the war.
"The Moscow Times" reports that the Russian energy giant Gazprom has resumed partial gas deliveries to the Slovak company SPP. Company spokesman Ondrej Sebesta informed the AFP agency that the deliveries are being made via the southern route through the TurkStream pipeline and Hungary to Slovakia. However, he declined to provide further details.
TurkStream as an alternative to Ukraine
The Slovak newspaper "Dennik N" reported that SPP CEO Vojtech Ferencz confirmed that gas deliveries through TurkStream began on February 1, and their volumes are expected to double in April.
The pipeline runs for 930 kilometres along the bottom of the Black Sea from the Russian resort of Anapa to Kiyikoy in northwestern Turkey. It then connects to onshore pipelines delivering gas to Hungary and Slovakia through the Balkans, "The Moscow Times" recalls.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is one of the few pro-Russian leaders in the EU, alongside Viktor Orban. “We see no reasons to pay for gas more than required due to geopolitical reasons,” he remarked, referring to the EU's plans to abandon Russian energy resources.
