Czech Industry Ministry: In a critical shortage, gas would be supplied only to households or hospitals

In the event of a critical gas shortage, supplies would be maintained only for households and critical infrastructure, such as hospitals. There are ten so-called consumption levels for restricting consumption. At the first level, supplies would be curtailed for customers able to switch to another fuel. Marek Vošahlík from the press department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MPO) told ČTK today. Russia today halted gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria. It justified its decision by saying that local gas companies PGNiG and Bulgargaz had refused to pay for gas in roubles, as Moscow demands. Gas supplies to the Czech Republic are stable, and the gas system is operating without restrictions.

The vast majority of gas enters the Czech network from eastern Germany. The interruption of Russian gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria should not affect gas supplies to the Czech Republic. Vojtěch Meravý, spokesperson for Net4Gas, the operator of the Czech natural gas transmission system, told ČTK today in response to a query.

„If the situation were to deteriorate sharply over the long term, the applicable energy legislation would be followed – in such a case, the entity that could declare a state of emergency is the transmission system operator, Net4Gas, which would manage the domestic gas system during a state of emergency,“ Vošahlík said.

According to Hospodářské noviny, among major Czech gas suppliers, the ČEZ Group currently has contracts directly with Russian state gas company Gazprom. Other suppliers do not buy gas directly from Gazprom, but mostly on the energy exchange in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, or on brokerage platforms. „We are monitoring and assessing the situation. We have not opened a rouble account with Gazprombank,“ ČEZ spokesperson Ladislav Kříž told Deník N today. According to the website, the company will not face its next payment for Russian gas until the end of May.

„Net4Gas is well interconnected with the German and Slovak networks and can export gas to Poland. We are able and prepared to transport gas in various directions and from different sources based on capacity and nominations ordered by our clients, and in compliance with European and Czech legislation,“ Meravý said.

Net4Gas is collecting all relevant information to assess any potential gap between gas supply and demand. The supply-demand balance will be discussed within the Central Crisis Staff of the Czech Gas System, which comprises representatives of the gas sector and the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The head of the crisis staff may then, for example, decide to prevent a state of emergency or immediately declare one. In the latter case, depending on the severity of the supply disruption, they may declare one of ten consumption levels for restricting consumption.

The first through fifth consumption levels are used to curtail gas supplies. The sixth through tenth levels are intended to interrupt gas supplies. There is also a so-called emergency consumption level, under which supplies are interrupted to all customers.

„The curtailment or interruption of gas supplies for individual customers is carried out in line with the declared consumption level. One of the most important objectives of this process is to maintain natural gas supplies for critical infrastructure operators and protected customers – households, healthcare and social services, food producers, the integrated rescue system, and so on – for as long as possible,“ Net4Gas said.

In line with the Europe-wide goal of gradually moving away from supplies from Russia, the Czech Republic is currently preparing a strategy to diversify supplies and transmission routes, according to the MPO. For example, a legislative framework is being prepared to receive Norwegian gas in the Czech Republic; according to preliminary information, Norwegian supplies could cover approximately a quarter of domestic consumption. The basis for such a scenario is a joint approach at EU level.

In Czechia, the largest operator of underground gas storage facilities is RWE Gas Storage, which operates six facilities with a working volume of around 2.7 billion cubic metres. Another operator of underground gas storage facilities in the country is MND Gas Storage, which owns and operates two storage structures. RWE Gas Storage facilities are currently filled to around 30 percent; this year, they began to be filled several weeks earlier, on 1 April, based on customer requirements. The Czech Republic has gas reserves for approximately one month, depending on the weather.