EU gas prices highest since March
The price of natural gas in Europe has climbed to its highest level since March after Russia reduced supplies via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline on Wednesday due to technical reasons.
On Wednesday morning, August futures on the TTF trading hub in the Netherlands briefly exceeded $2,500 per thousand cubic meters or €235 ($239) per megawatt hour in household terms.
The increase follows a confirmation by German gas network operator Gascade that supply through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline from Russia to Germany had been reduced to about 20% of capacity.
Gazprom said on Monday it would disable a second Siemens turbine at Nord Stream due to its technical condition. Wednesday’s cut follows a 60% reduction last month that Gazprom said was due to a sanctions-related delay, with the return of another turbine from repairs in Canada.
The decreased supplies from Russia caused panic in Germany and other EU nations, as the bloc prepares for the upcoming heating season and tries to top up its gas reserves before winter.
European gas prices have nearly quadrupled this year. On January 1, natural gas was trading at around $640 per thousand cubic meters, or $60 per megawatt hour. The current price is still below the historic high of $3,900 reached in early March after Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine.
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