Ukraine has closed the pipeline from Russia, and it will affect many in Europe's heartland. CGTN’s Pablo Gutierrez reports from Slovakian capital Bratislava.
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NewsTranscript
00:00For decades, Russian gas flowed to Europe via Ukraine, heating homes and fueling industries.
00:10But on January 1st, the taps were turned off.
00:13It's the end of an era that no natural gas is flowing from Ukraine or through Ukraine.
00:21So after many decades, it's a really new situation.
00:24The closure was no surprise.
00:26Giv had long signaled it would not renew the pipeline agreement with Russia, which
00:31expired at the end of 2024.
00:34The shutdown impacted Slovakia, Hungary and Austria, which relied on this supply route.
00:40So how much are you paying for gas a month?
00:44What is it?
00:45About a thousand euro just for the gas by itself.
00:47Teresa owns a yoga studio near Bratislava's city center.
00:51She says soaring energy costs, worsened by the Ukraine conflict, have left her struggling
00:56to stay afloat.
00:57Like many small business owners in Central Europe, she worries about being able to afford
01:03another price hike on her heating bills.
01:06In our case, the owners helped a lot.
01:09So the owners of the building were able to give us a little bit of a discount on the
01:15on the rent just to substitute for their gas.
01:19But that ended.
01:21Slovakia used to supply 40 percent of Europe's natural gas.
01:25By 2023, that share dropped to just eight percent as the European Union worked to reduce
01:31its reliance on Russian energy.
01:34After the shutdown, Slovakia's main gas company, SPP, said the country's gas storage is sufficient,
01:41but experts warn colder weather could stretch those supplies thin.
01:47Meanwhile, Slovakia's government says it's looking for new sources, including important
01:52natural gas from Azerbaijan and U.S. liquefied natural gas via Poland.
01:57But these alternatives come at a higher cost.
02:01Slovakia was not only the consumer of Russian gas and oil, but it was also an important
02:09transition country.
02:10So we got money for the fact that the pipeline goes through Slovakia.
02:16And it was a significant amount.
02:19It's not a question that there is not enough gas in Slovakia or cannot be transported to
02:25Slovakia.
02:26The question is the price.
02:28Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico says the loss of transit fees will cost Slovakia
02:32five hundred and thirteen million dollars annually, on top of the projected one hundred
02:38and eighty four million dollars in fees for alternative routes.
02:42The country will have to pay.
02:44Experts say some of those costs will be passed down to consumers.
02:48Businesses like Teresa's may not survive another price spike.
02:52Pablo Gutierrez, CGTN, Bratislava, Slovakia.