KIEV (Sputnik) – Naftogaz said that since December 22 volumes of Russian gas transit through the Nord Stream and Opal pipelines had increased by 41 percent while the transit through Ukraine decreased by 19 percent.
"Gazprom increased the physical load of the Opal pipeline from 50 percent to 80 percent of its capacity … The data of ENTSOG [European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas] let assume that there is a connection between intensification of using Opal and decrease of transit though Ukraine and Slovakia. That puts in question the affirmation that the European Commission’s decision on expanding Gazprom’s access to Opal and abandoning the European legislation will not result in decreasing volumes of Russian gas transit through the Ukrainian territory," the statement said.
In October, the European Commission expanded Gazprom's access to the Opal gas pipeline by additional 40 percent, preserving the last 10 percent as a reserve for the third countries, which could be extended to 15-20 percent in case of high demand.
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