Slovakia has gas for some 15 days owing to natural gas supplies from European gas firms, officials said Saturday as a shutdown of Russian gas deliveries via Ukraine continued for the fourth day, reported dpa. A Slovak Economy Ministry spokesman said that the country boosted its supplies by some 7.2 million cubic metres from reserves of Gaz de France and the German firm E.ON Ruhrgas. Slovakia is fully dependent on Russian gas arriving via Ukraine. The country's gas importer and distributer SPP dipped into underground reserves but is unable to pump enough gas to meet the country's needs as pipe pressure is low. The firm had to ask 1,000 manufacturers to keep their consumption to a minimum. SPP is extracting some 21 to 22 million cubic metres of gas from its storage depots each day, but needs 29 million cubic metres a day even after restrictions, the ministry said. As Slovakia partly covers its electricity needs from gas, the country is now mulling over restarting a Soviet-era reactor in Jaslovske Bohunice, which the country shut down in line with its European Union accession deal on December 31. Economy Minister Lubomir Jahnatek said Saturday that he will ask the government to allow preparations for restarting the unit, a plan which has not been approved by the EU and is opposed by neighbouring Austria, which rejects nuclear power.
