MOSCOW HALTS GAS SUPPLIES TO FINLAND

Sat 01 May 2022:

Russia on Saturday halted providing natural gas to neighbouring Finland, which has angered Moscow by applying for NATO membership, after the Nordic country refused to pay supplier Gazprom in rubles.

Natural gas accounts for about eight percent of Finland’s energy consumption and most of it comes from Russia.

Follwing Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has asked clients from “unfriendly countries” – including EU member states – pay for gas in rubles, a way to sidestep Western financial sanctions against its central bank.

Finnish state-owned energy company Gasum said it would make up for the shortfall from other sources through the Balticconnector pipeline, which connects Finland to Estonia, and assured that filling stations would run normally.

“Natural gas supplies to Finland under Gasum’s supply contract have been cut off,” the company said in a statement.

Gasum said Friday that it had been informed by Gazprom Export, the exporting arm of Russian gas giant Gazprom, that the supply would stop on Saturday morning.

The majority of gas used in Finland comes from Russia but gas only accounts for about 5% of its annual energy consumption.

Finland, along with neighbouring Sweden, this week broke its historical military non-alignment and applied for Nato membership, after public and political support for the alliance soared following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Moscow has warned Finland that any Nato membership application would be “a grave mistake with far-reaching consequences”.

Most European supply contracts are denominated in euros or dollars and Moscow already cut off gas to Bulgaria and Poland last month after they refused to comply with the new payment terms.

NEWS AGENCIES

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

TWITTER (CLICK HERE)
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent