France has not received any natural gas from Russia via pipeline since June 15, network operator GRTgaz said Friday, after Russian energy giant Gazprom warned this week it would sharply cut deliveries to Europe.
Gazprom said the supply reductions via the Nord Stream pipeline are the result of repair work, but EU officials believe Moscow is punishing allies of Ukraine, where Russian forces launched an invasion in February.
France gets around 17 percent of its gas from Russia through network connections with Germany, which relies heavily on Russian supplies and has criticised Gazprom’s move as “political”.
Supplies had already been reduced by 60 percent since the beginning of this year, sending prices soaring.
But GRTgaz said there was no risk to French supplies currently, with reserves at 56 percent capacity compared with 50 percent in June normally.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, France and other countries have increased gas imports from Spain via pipeline while also stepping up purchases of liquefied natural gas (LNG) that arrives by ship.
Much of the LNG is still coming from Russia, with France one of the country’s largest buyers currently, according to a report this week from the Finland-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
