MOSCOW
\nDenmark has become the fifth country to be cut off from Russian natural gas following the refusal of its biggest power wholesaler, Orsted, to pay for deliveries in rubles.
\nSupplies to Shell Energy Europe Limited in Germany have also been halted for the same reason, Russian energy giant Gazprom announced on Wednesday. \u201cAs of the end of the business day on May 31, Gazprom Export had not received payment for gas supplies in April from Orsted Salg & Service,\u201d the Russian company explained in a statement.
\nIt added that in 2021, Gazprom Export supplied the Danish company with 1.97 bcm of gas, which amounted to about two thirds of total gas consumption in Denmark. \u201cThe contract between Gazprom Export and Shell Energy Europe Limited for the supply of gas to Germany provides for a volume of up to 1.2 bcm of gas per year,\u201d Gazprom said.
\nShell accounts for just 2.6% of the 95 bcm of natural gas Germany consumes each year. \u201cShell continues to work on a phased withdrawal from Russian hydrocarbons,\u201d the company told the BBC.
\nMost of Germany\u2019s larger gas buyers, including Uniper and RWE, have agreed to the Kremlin\u2019s ruble payment scheme. Russia\u2019s new payment mechanism requires gas buyers from \u201cunfriendly\u201d countries that have placed sanctions on Moscow to open accounts in Russia\u2019s Gazprombank. They can then deposit funds in their currency of choice, which the bank converts to rubles and transfers to the Saint Petersburg energy giant.
\nThe Russian energy giant recently suspended gas exports to Bulgaria, Poland, Finland and the Netherlands after they refused to comply. According to the Russian Energy Ministry, about two dozen European companies have so far opened ruble accounts.
\nEarlier, the Netherlands became the fourth country to stop receiving Russian natural gas, following its decision not to pay for deliveries in rubles. Gazprom announced on Tuesday that it had \u201ccompletely stopped gas supplies\u201d to the Dutch state energy wholesaler GasTerra.
\n\u201cAs of the end of the business day on May 30, Gazprom Export had not received payment for gas supplies in April from GasTerra BV,\u201d the Russian company explained in a statement.
\nGasTerra earlier said it had taken measures to make up for the gas shortfall. \u201cThe cessation of supply by Gazprom means that until October 1, 2022, the date on which the contract ends, approximately 2 bcm of contracted gas will not be supplied. GasTerra has anticipated this by purchasing gas elsewhere,\u201d the Dutch company outlined in a statement. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MOSCOW Denmark has become the fifth country to be cut off from Russian natural gas following the refusal of its biggest power wholesaler, Orsted, to pay for deliveries in rubles. Supplies to Shell Energy Europe Limited in Germany have also been halted for the same reason, Russian energy giant Gazprom announced on Wednesday. \u201cAs of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-264025","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-business"},"yoast_head":"\n