Hungary Ready To Supply Gas To Slovakia If Needed
January 14 2009 - 11:39AM
Dow Jones News
BUDAPEST (AFP)--Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc said Wednesday
that the country was ready to deliver natural gas or electricity if
necessary to Slovakia, which has been hit hard by Europe's gas
crisis.
"We have the capacity to help both with natural gas and
electricity, of which we have reserves of 100-200 megawatts,"
Gyurcsany told M1 public television in an interview.
The premier said Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico had been
informed of the option.
Earlier, the Slovakian leader had warned that his country could
suffer from a complete blackout in one week if no natural gas
arrived from Russia.
Slovakia depends on Russia for 98% of its natural gas imports
via Ukraine, and it declared a state of energy emergency on January
6 to economize on its gas reserves.
Gyurcsany said that Ukraine "seems to bear a bigger part of the
responsibility" in the row between Moscow and Kiev that has left
large parts of Europe without crucial supplies of Russian gas.
On Wednesday, the expected gas consumption in Hungary was put at
60-62 million cubic meters, compared with available resources of 65
mcm, according to FGSz, the gas transmission unit of Hungarian
energy giant MOL Nyrt. (MOL.BU).
On Tuesday, Hungary delivered 2.7 mcm to Serbia and 1.5 million
cubic meters to Bosnia-Hercegovina, FGSz said in a statement.
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