No Violations of Gas Contract By Gazprom – Mol

MOSCOW. Jan 19 (Interfax) – Hungarian oil and gas company MOL has announced that there have been no violations of gas supply contracts by Russian gas giant OAO Gazprom.

“Yes, there was a reduction in gas supplies via the pipeline, by about 20%. But there was no violation of any contract obligations, neither now nor at the start of January,” MOL Managing Director Sandor Fasimon told journalists in Moscow on Thursday.

He said that at the moment Hungary is using gas from underground storage facilities, which have gas reserves of 3 billion – 4 billion cubic meters.

“This is a usual procedure. We do this at the start of the winter period,” he said.

Fasimon also said that Gazprom informed MOL, which transits gas to Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, about a possible drop in pressure in the pipelines to these countries.

“We are in constant contact with Gazprom,” he said.

The managing director said that he hopes that the unusually cold spell in Russia will not last long. However, if this situation continues, Hungary will be able to supply gas to consumers using reserves from underground storage facilities and its own gas production, which amounts to 3 bcm per year, he said.