Russian Gas Flows To Europe Reversed For 6th Day

The Yamal-Europe pipeline that usually delivers Russian gas to Western Europe was sending the fuel back to Poland for a sixth straight day on Sunday, according to data from German network operator Gascade.

Photo Insert: The Polish section of the Yamal-Europe pipeline

Data showed that flows at the Mallnow metering point on the German-Polish border were going east into Poland at an hourly volume of nearly 1.2 million kilowatt-hours (kWh/h) on Sunday, Reuters reported.

Auction results showed Russian gas exporter Gazprom had not booked gas transit capacity for exports via the Yamal-Europe pipeline for Monday.

Gascade, which gets Russian gas and transports it within Germany, is owned by WIGA, a joint venture of Gazprom and oil and gas company Wintershall DEA. Wintershall DEA is co-owned by German chemicals group BASF and Russia's LetterOne.

Russia said this week the flow reversal was not a political move, though it coincides with rising tensions between Moscow and the West over Ukraine and has pushed gas prices to record highs.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday Germany was reselling Russian gas to Poland and Ukraine rather than relieving an overheated market, putting the blame for the reversal, and rocketing prices, on German gas importers.

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