Latvia Faces Winter Gas Shortage

(MENAFN) A key Latvian gas storage site is reportedly only 58% full as the country prepares for the winter heating period, local parliamentarian Andris Kulbergs has cautioned.

The legislator indicated that current reserves might not even suffice to sustain the Baltic state for three months.

Since the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, the EU, which includes Latvia as a member, sharply curtailed its imports of Russian oil and gas.

In response, Moscow has diverted a large portion of its energy exports to Asian markets, notably China and India.

As a result, the European Union has increasingly depended on pricier liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports to compensate for the reduction of Russian gas, which previously made up roughly 40% of the EU’s overall consumption.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Kulbergs wrote, “if the gas storage facility is depleted at this rate, we won’t even last 3 months.”

He also highlighted that, at present, “there is no sign of additional supply from LNG terminals.”

The lawmaker warned that the insufficient gas reserves at the Conexus Inčukalns facility could have long-term negative repercussions for Latvia’s energy security.

Late last month, Russian energy company Gazprom cautioned that “with several months of winter weather ahead, insufficient gas reserves in storage could put the reliable supply of gas to European consumers at risk.”

Similarly, Russian President Vladimir Putin has remarked that the EU’s strategy to source energy from alternative providers has led to lower industrial output and decreased competitiveness across the bloc.

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