FACTBOX: Countries affected by Russia-Ukraine gas row
(Reuters) - Russia and the European Union signed an agreement on Saturday aimed at restoring Russian gas supplies via Ukraine, whose cut-off has plunged much of Europe into a midwinter energy crisis. Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, representing the EU presidency, then flew to Kiev hoping to persuade Ukraine to sign the deal. Slovakia said it would reopen a nuclear power plant unit closed at end-2008 under its EU accession agreement.
AUSTRIA - About 60 percent of demand is met by Russian gas*
Gas flows stopped on January 7.
No rationing of supply to Austrian firms before next Monday.
Oil and gas group OMV was drawing on reserves, domestic production and other imports to guarantee supply.
GERMANY - Russian gas meets about 42 percent of demand*
German energy groups E.ON AG and Wingas are relying on gas stores and a transit route via Poland. Gas shipments to Europe via Ukraine have been massively reduced since early on Tuesday, and no Russian gas has arrived into Germany via the Czech Waidhaus border point for a third day.
Energy firms warned of gas shortages if the dispute lasted much longer and sub-zero temperatures endured.
TURKEY -- Russia meets about 67 percent of gas demand*
Production at three Turkish power stations stopped on Thursday. Russian gas supplies from a western pipeline passing through Ukraine were cut on Tuesday. The country has raised supplies of Russian gas delivered via a pipeline under the Black Sea. Gazprom's Blue Stream pipeline to Turkey is working at full capacity of 45 million cubic meters (mcm).
Iran raised the amount of its daily supply volumes to Turkey to 18 million cubic meters from 12 million, following the partial cut off of Russian gas, an Iranian diplomatic source said on Friday.
GREECE -- Russia meets about 82 percent of gas demand*
All Russian gas supplies via Ukraine to Greece were halted on Tuesday. Turkey's gas exports to Greece were below the contract level with low pressure on the pipeline.
Greece, a latecomer to creating infrastructure to supply gas to households, is better placed to ride out the Russia-Ukraine gas crisis than some of its neighbors as the country continues to rely on oil for heating and power production.
According to the Greek gas company Depa, natural gas accounts for about 20 percent of Greece's energy needs, with about 9 million cubic meters per day needed to cover domestic demand. About 5-6 million cubic meters (mcm) come from Russia, via Ukraine and then Moldova, Romania and Bulgaria.
ITALY -- About 28 percent of demand for gas is met by
Russia*
Russian gas imports via the TAG pipeline were substantially interrupted from 1.00 a.m. on Wednesday, with supplies reduced by 90 percent. Italy has tapped its gas reserves.
Economic Development Minister Claudio Scajola said on Thursday Italy had enough gas stocks to last two months and see it through the winter.
FRANCE -- About 24 pct of gas demand is met by Russia*
Russian shipments dropped by more than 70 percent on January 6. French Energy group GDF Suez guaranteed supplies.
France does not rely on gas in the same way as Germany or Italy because 80 percent of its electricity is produced by nuclear power stations.
HUNGARY -- About 60 percent of gas demand is met by Russia*
E.ON Ruhrgas is to supply Hungary with 2.5 mcm of natural gas per day via a pipeline from Austria.
Hungary eased restrictions on some large industrial gas consumers from Thursday morning.
Hungary's MOL and Germany's E.ON Ruhrgas were to export 4-4.5 mln cubic meters of gas via Hungary to Serbia and 1-1.5 mln cubic meters to Bosnia on Saturday. The two were to make a joint shipment of 1 mln cubic meters to Croatia via Austria.
CZECH REPUBLIC - About 80 percent of gas demand is met by Russia*
The main transit pipeline from Russia to the Czech Republic and western Europe was shut on January 7.
No customers have suffered any shortfall, said the dominant gas firm RWE Transgas, a unit of Germany's RWE.
The firm said it had about 1.9 billion cubic meters of gas in storage, enough to supply Czech firms and households for several weeks, unless the weather was extremely cold. There were no plans at present to reduce supply to industrial customers.
Consumption is about 50 million cubic meters on an average winter day. The country now imports around 17 million cubic meters per day from Norway and Russia via Germany, more than standard shipments coming through the link only from Norway.
The Czech Republic will provide about 4 million cubic meters of gas per day to Slovakia, Industry and Trade Minister Martin Riman said on Friday. It would come from a Czech storage facility in Slovakia and may start flowing later on Friday.
SLOVAKIA - Slovakia said it would restart a nuclear power plant unit it shut down at end-2008 because the cut-off of Russian gas supplies threatened to cause power blackouts. It will resume power production at the 440 MW unit of the Jaslovske Bohunice plant in less than six days, PM Fico said on Saturday.
