Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) Italian oil and gas company Eni noted on Wednesday that gas flow from Russia dropped roughly 15% compared to Tuesday.
The company pointed out that Russian energy company Gazprom did not give an explanation for the reduced flow, according to Reuters reporting on Wednesday.
The company is also cutting gas flow to Germany via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, stressing that Western sanctions are disrupting repairs on the natural gas network.
“Eni confirms that Gazprom has communicated a limited reduction in gas supplies for today, amounting to approximately 15%,” a company spokesman noted and added that Eni is keeping a close eye on the situation.
Last year, Italy imported approximately 29 billion cubic metres of natural gas from Russia, which covered about 40% of the country’s consumption.
Italy and its EU counterparts have been working towards lowering their dependency on Russian energy imports since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Roberto Cingolani, Italian Minister for Ecological Transition, pointed out on Wednesday that lower flow did not cause any critical problems, noting that “gas flows from Russia are constantly monitored in cooperation with sector operators.”
Storage still half full
Paolo Gallo, CEO of Italy’s largest natural gas distributor Italgas, called for calm, pointing out that “one should do the math before worrying” and adding that Italy’s gas storage is above 52% full.
Gas flow to Germany remained unchanged hours after Gazprom announced it would reduce flow via Nord Stream 1, but the second reduction in the last two days means that the pipeline will operate at approximately 40% of its capacity.
Also on Wednesday, Egypt and Israel signed a memorandum of understanding with the EU to increase their natural gas exports to the bloc.
Israeli Ministry of Energy pointed out that the agreement will be the first to open doors to “significant” natural gas exports to the EU.
The Ministry added that, according to the agreement, the EU will encourage local companies to take part in Egyptian and Israeli fossil fuel exploration tenders.
Officials pointed out that it will take time for exports to increase significantly, predicting that the process will take a couple of years.