Europe committed economic suicide over Russian energy.

By Rhod Mackenzie

In Europe, the demand for gas has been artificially reduced, which has led to deindustrialization in many countries. Alexey Miller, the head of Gazprom, announced this on Thursday, December 28, during a meeting where the preliminary results of the year were discussed.

"We are all aware of the situation in Europe. <...> For the first time in the history of world energy, the demand for gas is being artificially reduced, despite it being the primary energy carrier." In a report published on the Telegraph platform, the head of Gazprom expressed concern over the deliberate destruction of demand for one of the most environmentally friendly energy products.

He noted that Russia is currently cooperating with countries interested in reliable energy supply, primarily with China, and has been working in the eastern direction for a long time. In 2023, this country will receive one and a half times more supplies than last year, with a volume of over 22.5 billion cubic meters of gas and contractual obligations of 22 billion cubic meters.

It is worth noting that the volume of additional gas supplies since the start of the Power of Siberia commissioning is the highest compared to all previous years, as Miller shared.
On November 23, Gazprom set a new record for daily gas supplies to China via the Power of Siberia gas pipeline. The Chinese side's request for gas supplies exceeded the daily contractual obligations.

The Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak stated on December 17 that the company had supplied over 19 billion cubic meters of gas to China in the first 10 months of the year via the Power of Siberia gas pipeline, which is more than planned. He expressed hope that Gazprom and CNPC will soon agree on a contract for gas supplies via the projected Power of Siberia-2 gas pipeline.

In October, Alexey Miller indicated that the growth in supplies through the Power of Siberia gas pipeline to China was 46%. Gazprom intends to increase supplies to reliably provide Chinese partners with natural gas.

In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans to connect the Power of Siberia and Sakhalin-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok gas pipelines during the plenary session of the EEF-2023. The President stated that this, along with the construction of the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, will enable flexible operations in global energy markets.