Russian gas consumption hits new high, limits not yet imposed
MOSCOW. Jan 26 (Interfax) - Russian gas consumption has hit a new all-time high with the onset of the first severe cold weather of the winter.
The Central Dispatching Department of the Fuel and Energy Complex (CDU TEK) said consumption on Monday rose above the 1.9-bcm threshold and totaled 1.934 bcm that day and 1.941 bcm on January 24. The previous highs had been 1.829 bcm in February last year, which prompted Gazprom to introduce its so-called Schedule No.1 for gas supplies, calling for major industrial users like factories and power plants to switch to standby fuel.
CDU TEK said 541.5 mcm of gas was taken out of storage on January 24 - more than the planned daily maximum of 522.1 mcm for the period, but still not as much as the all-time high of 533.9 mcm that was taken out on January 20, 2011.
The Russian gas supply system was able to economize heavily on gas during a mild December, and just 19.3 bcm of the winter reserve of 62.2 bcm has so far been taken out of storage.
The Unified Energy System Operator said the average temperature had fallen below last year's low on Wednesday but continued to fall, unlike a year ago, when the cold started to ease.
The situation with resources is complicated by the fact that Uzbekistan is only supplying a token 5 mcm per day to Russia - five times less than contract volumes.
But the gas balance is being maintained by a calm export situation. Exports last week fell 50 mcm behind daily volumes for a year ago, although the data suggest this was not due to inability to meet demand: Italy, for example, is receiving all the gas it has ordered from Russia, and the Yamal-Europe pipeline is running at half capacity.
Gazprom has been producing more gas by the day since the start of the second third of the month: it extracted 1.564 bcm on January 24, but this was still short of the company's planned 1.63 bcm daily maximum.
Gas orders from Russian power stations continue to rise, and there have been no reports of any restrictions yet.
Ukraine reduced its uptake of imported gas to 103.2 mcm Tuesday, from 115.l3 mcm Monday.
Schedule 1 limits gas consumption by major industrial users in order to free up gas reserves for the housing and utility sector.
The Sverdlovsk region's energy ministry press office told Interfax that it was thinking about these restrictions. A source from the Perm territory's fuel and energy sector said the schedule might be introduced if the cold weather lasts another week. For now, though, gas is being supplied as normal, as many enterprises have not yet taken all contracted volumes of gas.
Kazan-based OJSC Generating Company told Interfax that Schedule 1 was not yet envisaged and that gas suppliers had not asked for it, but it might be an issue next week. Energy consumption in Tatarstan is on the rise, and the network is operating at 3,900 MW, up 200 MW in the past week. But the average temperature for the month is still only 8 degrees below zero, and still milder than usual. The TGK-16 generating company said the temperature was unlikely to fall below minus 30 and that restrictions would not be imposed.
Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Sever told Interfax that it did not plan to introduce Schedule 1 in the Tyumen region. It did not even do so in 2009-2010, when minus 30-35 was recorded. The company is supplying 13 bcm per day to the Tyumen region and Khanty-Mansiisk and Yamal-Nenets autonomous districts. "Enough gas is getting through," the company said.
No problems were reported in the Tomsk or Kurgan regions, either. Minus 30 is normal for Siberia, where it only gets really cold if the temperature is 50 degrees below freezing for 10 days, said Vladimir Pronin, head of the Tomsk regional energy department.