SPP denies signing deal to import gas from Azerbaijan

According to the latest statements by the Slovak state gas company, an agreement on the transit of natural gas from Azerbaijan is not on the table. This was recently reported by the Reuters news agency in response to speculation about alternative imports to replace Russian gas for Hungarian and Slovak companies.

With the current five-year agreement between Russia and Ukraine due to expire at the end of next year, Europe is looking for alternative ways to import natural gas to make up for any potential shortfall in Russian supplies. The ambition to maintain the original route is also still in play, with Russia saying it is willing to continue supplying gas through Ukraine despite the ongoing war. Kyiv, by contrast, firmly rejects this possibility.

The information reported by Reuters comes in response to Bloomberg, which reported on Thursday that companies from Hungary and Slovakia were close to signing a contract for 12 to 14 billion cubic meters of gas a year from Azerbaijan.

"We regularly discuss the topic with our partners, but reports that a gas supply contract involving SPP is about to be signed are not true," Slovakia's SPP told Reuters.

It is worth noting that SPP is a leading voice in efforts to keep the transit route through Ukraine open. SPP says this is because other routes for importing Russian gas are more expensive and face potential obstacles.

Reuters also contacted the Ukrainian state energy company Naftogaz for comment, but it did not respond to the request. An energy industry source in Ukraine, however, denied the report. Russia has also expressed considerable skepticism about maintaining gas transit through Ukraine.