The Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhgorod pipeline, which transports Russian gas to Europe, has seen an abrupt rise in pressure from Russian gas giant Gazprom since Tuesday, according to the Ukrainian state pipeline operator.
Even though Russia and Ukraine are at war, gas is still pumped to Europe through Ukraine. On Monday, Gazprom stated that its gas throughput to Europe via Ukraine was estimated at 41.7 million cubic meters (mcm), up from 41.2 mcm the previous day.
According to the Ukrainian operator, pipeline operators must notify one another before such pressure surges since they could result in crises like pipeline ruptures.
“Failing to inform the operator in a timely manner carries potential risks to the normal operation of the pipeline,” it stated without specifying if such operations were now in danger.
As The Dallas Express previously reported, Gazprom announced Monday that gas shipments to Germany through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which avoids Ukraine, will decrease to 33 mcm per day starting July 27, citing directives from an industry watchdog.
While the Kremlin claimed the reduction results from maintenance problems and the impact of Western sanctions, the European Union has accused Russia of using energy blackmail several times, according to Reuters.
Energy price increases are causing inflation, further reducing people’s purchasing power and escalating worries that Europe may enter a recession if enough gas is not stockpiled to make it through the winter.
Due to such concerns, some EU countries decided to cut back on their usage of natural gas on Tuesday to safeguard against additional Russian supply disruptions, seeking to reduce gas usage by 15% from August through March, as reported by The Dallas Express.