MOSCOW, December 8The Czech authorities are considering the option of creating a state energy company for centralized gas purchases and limiting energy supplies from Russia, the online publication Seznam Zpravy reported, citing Vojtech Srnka, a representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
According to the publication, gas purchases for the Czech Republic are not carried out centrally. The government of Prime Minister Petr Fiala is considering the possibility of creating a new state energy company that would not supply gas to the country from Russia.
«A state-owned company would not buy gas from Russia. Thus, it would contribute to limiting Russian gas supplies to the Czech Republic,” Srnka told the publication.
According to Seznam Zpravy, the project is at the discussion stage between the Czech Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The main issues remain the budget of the potential enterprise and the department to which it will report. According to the publication, the costs of creating the company and starting its activities are estimated at millions of dollars. In addition, the Ministry of Finance is asking about obtaining guarantees that the gas purchased by the company is not produced in Russia.
As follows from an analysis of Czech customs data, in January-September 2023 the Czech Republic purchased Russian gas for $44 million; Russia continues to be one of the top 5 suppliers of blue fuel to the country.
The head of the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade, Josef Sikela, reported that the Czech Republic does not need Russian gas, but despite this, some Czech companies began to receive it in October; imports from the Russian Federation in October amounted to 1.2% of the total volume of gas supplies to the republic for 2023. Earlier, Sikela said that since January 2023, the Czech Republic has not received gas from Russia.