Czechia imported no gas from Russia in first half; storage sites are 88% full

Czechia imported no gas from Russia during the first half of this year. Overall, the balance of gas imports and exports in the Czech Republic fell by 23 percent year on year. Even so, domestic storage facilities are currently 88 percent full, more than in previous years. Industry and Trade Minister Jozef Síkela (STAN) said this at a press conference after a government meeting.

All gas coming from abroad therefore flowed into Czechia via Germany this year, he said. According to Síkela, the Czech Republic replaced Russian gas with Norwegian gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) from terminals in the Netherlands and Belgium.

„The capacity at the LNG terminal in the Netherlands, which we managed to secure last year, will cover up to 40 percent of annual gas consumption. Liquefied natural gas therefore plays an irreplaceable role in strengthening our energy security,“ the minister said.

The state will continue negotiations on increasing supplies and using LNG terminals to supply the Czech Republic, he said.

„That is why, among other things, I met with representatives of the German government last week to discuss the use of planned liquefied natural gas terminals,“ Síkela added.

According to data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT), gas storage facilities held 3.04 billion cubic metres of gas as of today, equivalent to 88 percent capacity. Last year, stocks stood at 2.6 billion cubic metres, according to the ministry, while average stocks from 2019 to 2022 amounted to 2.47 billion cubic metres of gas.

„Record-high stocks are being achieved because gas consumption in the Czech Republic has fallen significantly. Total gas consumption from January to July 2023 was 3.96 billion cubic metres, 12 percent lower than in 2022 and 20 percent below the average for 2019 to 2022,“ the ministry said.