Interactive: Russia accounts for 61% of EU pipeline supply in September

Russian gas accounted for 61% of Europe’s pipeline imports in September as the continent’s total gas receipts from Russia, Norway and North Africa fell to 19-month low of 21.3 billion cubic metres (bcm).

The drop was driven by the lowest monthly export volume from Norway since February 2013 following an extensive period of annual maintenance that Gassco described on 3 October as “ the biggest ever for a single year”.

Russia

Russian exports via the Nord Steam pipeline and Ukraine rose by nearly 900 million cubic metres (mcm) compared to August 2016 and by nearly 700mcm year on year to a total of 13bcm in September.

Deliveries on the Nord Stream pipeline rebounded strongly from the nine-month low volume recorded in August 2016, but were a touch lower year on year at 3.5bcm in September.

Transit flows to Slovakia posted the biggest year on year growth, rising by nearly 22% to 4.4bcm, while exports via Poland increased by around 5%. Deliveries via Ukraine to Turkey and the Balkan states hit a four-month low of 1.7bcm.

As flows from Norway and North Africa both dropped in September, Russia claimed a 61% share of Europe’s pipeline supply mix – it’s biggest since at least 2012. Year-to-date exports from Russia have now totalled 113.2bcm and are up nearly 14% on the same nine months of 2015.

Norway

Norwegian exports sank to a three-and-a-half-year low in September as a busy summer maintenance schedule reached its climax. As a result, Norwegian year-to-date exports to Europe slid below the 2015 equivalent for the first time this year at just shy of 78bcm.

Flows to Germany and the Netherlands were hit hardest, falling by nearly 1.2bcm month on month and by 1.6bcm compared to September 2015 to a combined 2.3bcm. Maintenance on the Zeepipe to Belgium cut flows to Zeebrugge by 61% and 54% compared to the previous year and month.

Deliveries to France were little changed by comparison, falling by only 5% compared to the previous month to 1.1bcm, while flows to Britain increased by 8% over the same period.

With no further maintenance planned for the rest of 2016, Norwegian exports are likely to pick up in the final quarter of the year. A total of 30.5bcm was exported to Europe in the fourth quarter of 2015.

North Africa

Natural gas imports from North Africa fell by 900mcm month on month in September to a six-month low 2.7bcm, but were up 13% on the same month of 2015. Imports comprised 2.3bcm from Algeria and 400mcm from Libya.

A total of 28.3bcm has been exported to Spain and Italy so far in 2016, up from 22.3bcm in the same nine months of 2015. jake.horslen@icis.com