Danske Ørsted has not been in dialogue with Russia's Gazprom since the company demanded on April 1 that Russian gas be paid for in Russian rubles. But the position has not changed since, says Ørsted's head of communications, Martin Barlebo, in a written response to Ritzau.
- Gazprom has asked us to respond by the end of May whether we will comply with the requirement. We still have no intention of paying in rubles, he says.
He also explains that the Danish energy company is in close dialogue with other energy companies and authorities about a joint European response to the Russian demand.
Ørsted currently has an agreement to buy gas from Gazprom, which the company cannot get out of. In any case, the agreement will not be extended when it expires in 2030. The company announced this earlier in March.
The agreement gained particular interest after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has led to sanctions from the West. Several parties have since called on Ørsted to withdraw from the contract.
The Danish company has announced that it will donate any profit in 2022 after tax and risk hedging from the Gazprom contract to humanitarian aid in Ukraine.
Poland and Bulgaria will have their gas taps closed
On Tuesday, Russia notified both Poland and Bulgaria that it will shut off gas to the two countries on Wednesday.
The two countries' gas companies, Polish PGNiG and Bulgarian Bulgargaz, received notification from Gazprom on Tuesday that gas will be shut off via the Yamal pipeline.
- On April 26, 2022, Gazprom informed PGNiG of its intention to completely stop deliveries under the Yamal contract on April 27, the Polish company announced.
This is because PGNiG does not want – just as Ørsted - pay for the gas in Russian rubles, as Russia demands. The Polish company believes that Russia's demand for payment in rubles is a breach of the contract that has been concluded.
The governments of both Poland and Bulgaria say that they were prepared for a possible stoppage in supplies from Russia and that they have taken precautions.
Ritzau
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