Gazprom pipelines and export capacity

Газопроводы Газпрома и экспортные мощности

Gas pipelines of West Siberia

Газопроводы Западной Сибири

Export flows of Gazprom

Экспортные потоки

Spot, Gazprom, Brent

Цены на нефть и газ

End-use price of gas

Russia and USA

Daily gas production

Суточная добыча


Gazprom wants to have full control over transit pipelines in Eastern and Central Europe


Gazprom has achieved record daily export volume of 550 mmcm (Europe including Turkey and excluding the former Soviet states). However, on the record day of December 13, 2012, most gas pipelines crossing the Eastern borders of the EU had substantial spare capacity. According to European operators, full load was reported only at the Yamal-Europe (Belorussia-Poland) and Komarno-Drozdowicze (Ukraine-Poland) pipelines1. The major export corridor via Slovakia was utilized by 71% and the Kobrin-Brest-Warsaw pipeline by 59%. Nord Stream was loaded at about one-third of its design capacity.

The total technical spare capacity of export pipelines exceeds the record level of Russian gas exports by over 200 mmcmd. This is more than the design capacity of the South Stream project. By 2018, Gazprom plans to have spare capacity of the size of over two South Stream projects. On top of that, Gazprom wants to build two more links of the Nord Stream pipeline and expand the Belorussian export corridor.

By the end of this decade, the total capacity of export pipelines of Gazprom is to reach 318 bcma (without Belorussian expansion and Nord Stream 3 and 4), while contracts guarantee sales of 158 bcma. As a result, most of the existing gas pipelines of Eastern Europe will be either underutilized or abandoned. Transit pipelines of Slovakia, Hungary and Romania are unlikely to have any flow of Russian gas. Technically, these pipelines could be used for the transit of gas from Azerbaijan and Central Asia, but it is impossible now because of the ban of international gas transit through the Russian territory.

Therefore, Russia's proposal to exempt European sections of Nord Stream and South Stream pipelines from the rules of the Third Energy Package means Gazprom wants to block the access of Caspian gas to both "old" and "new" transit pipelines of Eastern and Central Europe.

1 - We were unable to find out the daily flow to Finland.

Mikhail Korchemkin

East European Gas Analysis

Malvern, PA, USA

 

December 24, 2012

 

Reproduction or use of materials is allowed only with reference to East European Gas Analysis or www.eegas.com

Last modified: 12/07/14                    © East European Gas Analysis 2006-2014                                           Email: info@eegas.com
Reproduction or use of materials is allowed only with reference to East European Gas Analysis or www.eegas.com