Czech Republic cuts gas consumption to minimum, but continues to buy Russian gas
Kyiv • UNN
Gas consumption in the Czech Republic has reached a 30-year low, falling 7% in 2023.
In 2023, natural gas consumption in the Czech Republic fell to its lowest levels in 30 years. At the same time, the country continues to buy Russian gas. UNN reports this with reference to Radio Prague International.
For 12 months, the Czech Republic needed 7.1 billion cubic meters of natural gas for a full life and production needs (a decrease of 7%). The decrease in consumption is due to a drop in demand for electricity generated by gas-fired power plants and a continued decline in natural gas consumption by households and industry. Combined with the large volume of storage facilities, this also led to a decrease in gas imports to the Czech Republic, according to an analysis by the consulting company EGÚ Brno, which the firm provided to the national news agency ČTK.
Most of the gas supplied to the Czech Republic last year came via Germany from Norway and from liquefied natural gas terminals on the North Sea coast, i.e. from Belgium, the Netherlands or Germany. Since October, the Czech Republic has also started to receive Russian gas purchased on the Slovak or Austrian markets, which eventually amounted to about seven percent of the total annual domestic consumption.
