Italy receives lower Russian gas supply for second day
Italian energy giant Eni said the supply from Gazprom was down again on Thursday due to problems at the Russian company's Portovaya plant.
Italy will get 65 percent of the gas supplies requested on Thursday due to the ongoing supply cut, but ministers insist the shortfall is not causing problems.
Eni said it had asked for 44 percent more gas than on Wednesday, when Gazprom cut the supply by 15 percent for reasons that the Italian firm said at the time were not clear.
READ ALSO: How long will it take Italy to wean itself off Russian gas?
"Gazprom explained that the under-delivery is due to problems at the Portovaya plant which feeds the Nord Stream gas pipeline, through which Gazprom transports part of the volumes destined for Eni," a spokesman for the Italian firm said.
He noted that the actual amount of gas delivered will be higher than on Wednesday.
The squeeze on gas supplies - on which Italy is heavily dependent - come amid increasing tensions between Russia and the West over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi visited Kyiv on Thursday on a surprise joint visit with the leaders of France and Germany, to show solidarity with the war-torn country.
"Eni's daily gas request was approximately 44 percent higher than yesterday - an increase due to the need to recover the volumes not received yesterday, and to normal commercial dynamics," the spokesman said.
READ ALSO: Why and how Italy will pay for Russian gas in rubles
"Gazprom announced that only 65 percent of the requested volumes will be delivered.
"The delivered volumes will therefore be slightly higher than yesterday, and will be of approximately 32 million cubic meters a day."
Italy's Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani said after Wednesday's 15 percent reduction that the situation was not currently critical.
"The trend in gas flows is constantly monitored in cooperation with the operators and there are no critical issues at the moment," he said in a statement.
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Italy will get 65 percent of the gas supplies requested on Thursday due to the ongoing supply cut, but ministers insist the shortfall is not causing problems.
Eni said it had asked for 44 percent more gas than on Wednesday, when Gazprom cut the supply by 15 percent for reasons that the Italian firm said at the time were not clear.
READ ALSO: How long will it take Italy to wean itself off Russian gas?
"Gazprom explained that the under-delivery is due to problems at the Portovaya plant which feeds the Nord Stream gas pipeline, through which Gazprom transports part of the volumes destined for Eni," a spokesman for the Italian firm said.
He noted that the actual amount of gas delivered will be higher than on Wednesday.
The squeeze on gas supplies - on which Italy is heavily dependent - come amid increasing tensions between Russia and the West over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi visited Kyiv on Thursday on a surprise joint visit with the leaders of France and Germany, to show solidarity with the war-torn country.
"Eni's daily gas request was approximately 44 percent higher than yesterday - an increase due to the need to recover the volumes not received yesterday, and to normal commercial dynamics," the spokesman said.
READ ALSO: Why and how Italy will pay for Russian gas in rubles
"Gazprom announced that only 65 percent of the requested volumes will be delivered.
"The delivered volumes will therefore be slightly higher than yesterday, and will be of approximately 32 million cubic meters a day."
Italy's Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani said after Wednesday's 15 percent reduction that the situation was not currently critical.
"The trend in gas flows is constantly monitored in cooperation with the operators and there are no critical issues at the moment," he said in a statement.
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