The Qatari energy company Qatargas specializes in long-term gas supplies, preferring to work with such contracts, so increasing spot supplies to Europe to the detriment of long-term obligations is not in their interests. This was announced to Izvestia by energy expert Valdis Plavinsh on Wednesday, January 26.
Earlier in the day, the media wrote that the administration of US President Joe Biden is discussing with Qatar to increase the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe and is preparing to attract more countries from the Middle East to “secure Europe from dependence on Russian natural gas.”
The day before, a senior US administration official said that Washington is negotiating with major energy companies to convince them to redirect gas supplies to Europe. He emphasized that about a third of gas supplies to the EU are carried out by Russia, and any interruptions will exacerbate the energy crisis.
The Institute of European Studies of the Chinese Academy of Contemporary International Relations called the US attempts to oust or replace Russia in the European energy market an illusion.
Plavinsh said that one cannot fail to note the fact that Europe is actively increasing LNG imports, including by reducing demand for it in Asian countries.
“Given the fact that the return of the “Asian premium”, that is, a positive difference between gas prices in Asia and Europe, is expected only in April, we can say that Europe will be able to count on stable and significant LNG supplies until the end of the heating season, and, This means that it will be able to reduce the consumption of Russian gas, ”the expert admitted.
On January 24, The Times, citing sources in the British government, wrote that the country’s authorities fear a reduction in gas supplies to Europe in the event of tough sanctions against Russia.
The Kremlin said that the concerns of the British authorities are “fake hysteria.” Russia has always been a “reliable guarantor of energy security” for Europe, even in the most difficult moments of relations, they recalled.
At the end of December, Viktor Khaikov, Chairman of the Commission for Innovative Development of the Public Council under the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, assured that Gazprom was fully fulfilling its obligations to supply gas to Europe under the concluded contracts.
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