Ukraine's leading English-language newspaper since 1995

Jan 10 (Reuters) - The European Union began talks with Russia on Saturday to finalise a gas monitoring deal which would allow the resumption of gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine, which have been cut off for days over a pricing row.

AUSTRIA - About 60 percent of annual demand is met byRussian gas. Gas flows stopped on Jan. 7. No rationing ofsupply to Austrian firms before next Monday. Oil and gas group OMV was drawing on reserves,domestic production and other imports to guarantee supply.GERMANY - Russian gas meets about 42 percentof annual demand. German energy groups E.ON AG and Wingas are relying on gas stores and a transit route via Poland.Gas shipments to Europe via Ukraine have been massively reducedsince early on Tuesday, and no Russian gas has arrived intoGermany via the Czech Waidhaus border point for a third day. Energy firms warned of gas shortages if the dispute lastedmuch longer and sub-zero temperatures endured.TURKEY -- Russia meets about 67 percent of annual gasdemand* Production at three Turkish power stations stopped onThursday. Russian gas supplies from a western pipeline passingthrough Ukraine were cut on Tuesday. The country has raisedsupplies of Russian gas delivered via a pipeline under the BlackSea. Gazprom's Blue Stream pipeline to Turkey is working at fullcapacity of 45 million cubic metres (mcm). Iran raised the amount of its daily supply volumes to Turkeyto 18 million cubic metres from 12 million, following thepartial cut off of Russian gas, an Iranian diplomatic sourcesaid on Friday.GREECE -- Russia meets about 82 percent of annual gasdemand* All Russian gas supplies via Ukraine to Greece were haltedon Tuesday. Turkey's gas exports to Greece were below thecontract level with low pressure on the pipeline. Greece, a latecomer to creating infrastructure to supply gasto households, is better placed to ride out the Russia-Ukrainegas crisis than some of its neighbours as the country continuesto rely on oil for heating and power production. According to the Greek gas company Depa, natural gasaccounts for about 20 percent of Greece's energy needs, withabout 9 million cubic metres per day needed to cover domesticdemand. About 5-6 million cubic metres (mcm) come from Russia,via Ukraine and then Moldova, Romania and Bulgaria.ITALY -- About 28 percent of annual demand for gas is met by Russia* Russian gas imports via the TAG pipeline were substantiallyinterrupted from 1.00 a.m. on Wednesday, with supplies reducedby 90 percent. Italy has tapped its gas reserves. Economic Development Minister Claudio Scajola said onThursday Italy had enough gas stocks to last two months and seeit through the winter.FRANCE -- About 24 pct of annual gas demand is met byRussia* Russian shipments dropped by more than 70 percent on Jan. 6.French Energy group GDF Suez <GSZ.PA> guaranteed supplies. France does not rely on gas in the same way as Germany orItaly because 80 percent of its electricity is produced bynuclear power stations.HUNGARY -- About 60 percent of annual gas demand is met byRussia* E.ON Ruhrgas is to supply Hungary with 2.5 mcm of naturalgas per day via a pipeline from Austria. Hungary eased restrictions on some large industrial gasconsumers from Thursday morning. It plans to use some of itsstrategic gas reserves on Thursday to ensure supplies tohousehold and most industrial users. Hungary is to provide Serbia with 2 million cubic metres ofgas on Friday after starting to do so on Thursday because ofmilder weather and lower household consumption. Hungary will supply Bosnia and Croatia with natural gas onSaturday.CZECH REPUBLIC - About 80 percent of annual gas demand ismet by Russia* The main transit pipeline from Russia to the Czech Republicand Western Europe was shut on Jan. 7. No customers have suffered any shortfall, said the dominantgas firm RWE Transgas, a unit of Germany's RWE <RWEG.DE>. The firm said it had about 1.9 billion cubic metres of gasin storage, enough to supply Czech firms and households forseveral weeks, unless the weather was extremely cold. There wereno plans at present to reduce supply to industrial customers. Consumption is about 50 million cubic metres on an averagewinter day. The country now imports around 17 million cubicmetres per day from Norway and Russia via Germany, more thanstandard shipments coming through the link only from Norway. The Czech Republic will provide about 4 million cubic metresof gas per day to Slovakia, Industry and Trade Minister MartinRiman said on Friday. It would come from a Czech storagefacility in Slovakia and may start flowing later on Friday.SLOVAKIA - About 100 percent of annual demand is met byRussia* Slovakia declared a state of emergency after Russiansupplies stopped on Jan. 7. It may restart a nuclear power plantit shut down to comply with the EU accession agreement ifRussian gas supplies remain halted for a longer time. The Slovak gas transit and distribution company SPP said ithad reduced supplies to around 1,000 Slovak companies, forcingmajor companies to reduce production. SPP is delivering gas fromits storage facilities to households, hospitals and schools. The Czech Republic said on Friday it would provide Slovakiawith about 4 million cubic metres of gas per day, possiblystarting later on Friday. Slovakia said it wanted to secure delivery of 8-10 millioncubic metres from sources other than Russia. BOSNIA - Nearly 100 percent of Bosnia's gas comes fromRussia* Russian deliveries stopped on Jan. 6. Bosnia uses around 350million cubic metres of gas annually. It has no gas reserves. Natural gas accounts for around six to eight percent ofBosnia's energy use, Bosnian energy officials say. Tens ofthousands have been left without heating and some factories haveclosed. In Sarajevo, citizens that lived without heating duringthe 1992-95 war have rushed to buy electric heaters. An alumina plant, two Slovak car factories, a steel mill anda Hungarian car maker have had to shut. Bosnia is seeking natural gas from Germany's E.ON.SERBIA - About 87 percent of annual gas demand is met byRussia** Supply from Russia was cut off on Jan. 6 and the country ranout of gas. Many thousands of people were without heating andsome health clinics and hospitals have closed. Natural gas accounts for 15 percent of its annual fuel useaccording to the Serbian energy ministry. But tens of thousands of Serbian homes regained gas heatingon Thursday after Germany and Hungary started supplying fivemillion cubic metres of natural gas a day. Officials said170,000 Serbian households had no gas heating as of Thursday,but many of those were expected to be back to normal on Friday. Hungary's HOL <MOLB.BU> said it would provide Serbia with 2million cubic metres of natural gas on Friday. E.ON Ruhrgas <EONGn.DE> would provide Serbia with further2.7 million cubic metres, Energy Minister Csaba Molnar said onFriday.President Boris Tadic said on Friday Serbia wasnegotiating a deal for an additional 2-3 million cubic metresfrom Austria.BULGARIA - About 96 percent of annual demand for gas is metby Russia** Russian supplies via Ukraine, halted on Tuesday, have forceddozens of Bulgarian industrial companies to cut production. The Neftochim Burgas refinery, controlled by Russia's LUKOIL<LKOH.MM>, halted all exports of heavy fuel after a cut inRussian gas supplies prompted a switch to oil. Bulgarian gas monopoly Bulgargaz cut gas supplies completelyto 72 big industrial consumers and sharply lowered deliveries toanother 153 big companies on Thursday. Dozens of kindergartens and 68 schools were closed and tramsand buses in the capital Sofia switched off heat to save energy. By Friday, however, the domestic situation had improvedalthough at least 30,000 households in the northern town ofPleven remained without central heating. At least 65,000Bulgarian households had been without gas heating on Thursday. Ukraine's state energy firm Naftogaz said on Saturday itwould soon hold talks with Bulgaria to supply it with gas.POLAND -- About 47 percent of annual demand for gas met byRussia** Russian deliveries via Ukraine halted on Jan. 7. Importscontinue via Belarus. The government has approved a motion tocut gas supplies to industrial clients, the deputy primeminister said. Its gas distributor PGNiG said on Wednesday Poland wasreceiving 84 percent of contracted Russian gas in spite of thehalt in deliveries. SLOVENIA - About 64 percent of annual demand for gas met byRussia** Russian supplies stopped from Jan. 7. Deliveries tocustomers have not been disrupted. Main gas supplier Geoplin said the country could expect nogas from Russia at least till 0500 GMT on Friday. It has calledupon several large Slovenian users, including energy firms andcar maker Revoz, a subsidiary of France's Renault <RENA.PA>, tocut the use of gas and use other fuel instead. Geoplin said on Friday it might have to reduce or cut gassupplies to its industrial customers as it had received no gasfrom Russia since early on Wednesday. It said there would be noreductions for non-industry consumers. CROATIA - About 37 percent of annual demand for gas met byRussia** Russian flows halted again late on Jan. 6. Croatia declareda crisis on Wednesday, making distributors cut gas flows toindustry and give priority to homes, schools and hospitals. Croatia consumes about 12 million cubic metres of gas eachday during winter. It produces 4.8 million cubic metres andimports the remainder from Russia. Croatia satisfies a quarter of its annual energy needs withgas. It has 370 million cubic metres of stored gas which shouldsuffice for about three weeks. The government said Croatia's oiland gas concern INA would explore possibilities of an emergencyimport of gas from Italy or North Africa. Croatian oil and gas concern INA <INA.ZA> <HINAq.L> hassecured three-day emergency import of gas from Germany.MACEDONIA - About 100 percent of Macedonia's gas comes fromRussia*. Just one percent of its overall energy supply comesfrom natural gas, according to a recent study. Russian gas supplies to Macedonia halted on Tuesday. The country's main steel exporter has been forced to haltproduction but alternate fuels are providing heating, includingin the capital Skopje, which partially relies on natural gas. ROMANIA -- About 28 percent of annual demand for gas met byRussia* According to Romania's economy ministry, Romania imports 35percent of annual gas consumption from Russia. Russian supplies to Romania were cut early on Jan. 7.Underground storage and gas production by Romgaz and Petrom<SNPP.BX><OMVV.VI> were being used to make up the shortfall.Romania, less reliant on Russian gas than other ex-communistcounterparts, produces 65 percent of domestic consumption. Data from 2007 shows that electricity produced from gasrepresented around 17 percent of Romania's annual consumption. According to the Economy Ministry, Romania has around 2.2billion cubic metres of natural gas stored in undergrounddeposits, which officials have said can supply households andindustry for around 60 to 80 days at maximum capacity. MOLDOVA Moldova is no longer receiving Russian gas via Ukraine, thecountry's government said in a statement on Wednesday. Northern regions of Moldova had adequate gas reserves onlyfor 48 hours, while southern regions could last for seven dayson existing reserves. Ukraine's Naftogaz said on Saturday it had starteddeliveries to Moldova. * Figures calculated using the BP Statistical Review ** Figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.