Academy of Sciences warns against unbundling gas networks
16.03.2012, 10:46The energy council of the Estonian Academy of Sciences has sent a letter to the parliament with a warning that Estonia’s main gas supplier Gazprom may stop supplying gas to Estonia if the country goes ahead with the planned unbundling of the Estonian Gas network, writes Eesti Päevaleht.
In a letter sent to MPs one day before the parliamentary committee on economic affairs supported legislation that forces Estonian Gas to sell its gas network, academicians wrote that such a move, especially if done single-handedly and without proper analysis could affect the supply security of Estonian gas consumers through restrictions in using Latvian underground gas storages and in building international connections and those to the Russian Federation.
Arvi Hamburg, chairman of the energy council and also adviser to Estonian Gas, said in comment that extracting gas from Latvian gas storages in very cold temperatures is difficult. “If we now anger the gas owners, there is no guarantee that they will consider us a priority when it is minus 30 degrees outside,” said Hamburg.
Arto Aas, chairman of the parliamentary committee on economic affairs, said in comment: “The letter contains a very serious threat to the Estonian energy security and tries to influence lawmakers in an unprecedented manner. I don’t know if it is Gazprom, the main shareholder of Estonian Gas that is behind this threat. The council’s meeting had invited Estonian Gas chairman, but no-one from the government. In essence, the proposals of the energy council are almost a complete match with those of Estonian Gas. Such communication through threats shows that Estonian energy security is not complete until we get all our gas from Russia.”