Slovakia will have enough gas for winter, says economy minister

Slovakia currently has 25 terawatt hours (TWh) of natural gas in storage, still 10 TWh short of the 35 TWh needed to get through the coming heating season. Notably, however, the amount of gas under contract and yet to be delivered exceeds the lacking 10 TWh, Economy Minister Richard Sulik (SaS) reported at a press conference on Tuesday. "Gas continues to flow into Slovakia. There's enough gas on the market," said Sulik, adding that "The problem isn't the amount of gas, but its crazy, until recently unfathomable prices." The ministry, he said, is counting on using the cheaper gas it holds in its emergency stocks this season, in order to make it to the first quarter of next year. However, state-owned gas utility SPP has warned that using these stocks for immediate household consumption would jeopardise the security of supply in the event of a complete halt in gas flows to the country from Russian supplier Gazprom. SPP has begun diversifying its supplies and also receives gas from Norwegian fields in the North Sea, as well as LNG imported into Europe by tankers.