Finland no longer gets gas from Russia. “The import of gas through the entry point of Imatra has been stopped,” said Finnish grid operator Gasgrid on Saturday morning. Russian gas destined for Finland usually arrives at Imatra station. The Finnish state company Gasum also confirmed the delivery stop. “The supply of natural gas to Finland under the Gasum supply agreement has been cut off,” the company said.
From now on, Gasum will supply its customers with gas that flows through the Balticconnector pipeline from other sources. The pipeline connects Finland with neighboring Estonia. According to Gasum, the Russian gas company Gazprom had announced that there would be no more gas flow from 6 a.m. on Saturday morning. The reason is that Gasum has refused to pay future bills in rubles, as requested by Gazprom. However, Gasum has carefully prepared for such a situation and can continue to supply all customers in the coming months.
Tensions over the desire to join NATO
The majority of Finland’s needs currently come from Russia, but the total share of fuel is only five percent of the country’s total energy consumption. Relations between Russia and Finland are already tense after the Scandinavian country, which had been neutral for decades, decided to join NATO after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The EU and thus Austria had rejected payments in rubles for gas because the contracts were concluded almost exclusively in euros or dollars. Russia had requested such a payment by decree, but the details are unclear. As many European suppliers have to pay their bills in the coming days, the settlement is eagerly anticipated.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
