Benchmark futures are now trading just above €50, near the lowest levels since September 2021.

Ukraine, whose largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia, has been under Russian military control since early March 2022, has been calling for the sanctions to include the nuclear energy sector.

"National consultations have clearly shown that the Hungarians do not want sanctions, because they will not help Ukraine, they will not bring Russia to its knees and will only cause terrible damage to Europe and Hungary," Orban stressed. He believes the results of the national consultations will be a significant help in his discussions with the leadership of the EU and other countries.

The cold spell next week signals the possibility of heavier withdrawals from the region’s gas storage sites, though inventories are still almost 73% full and well above average levels of the last five years.

Benchmark futures fell as much as 3.5%. While the continent’s gas inventories dropped last week amid a cold spell, they are still far above historic averages.

Государство в настоящее время уделяет большое внимание обеспечению кибербезопасности, эта задача заложена в Энергетическую стратегию РФ до 2035 года.

Dutch front-month futures, were 0.2% lower at €66.80 a megawatt-hour by 8:58 a.m. in Amsterdam, after rising as much as 3.1% earlier.

Dutch front-month futures, Europe’s gas benchmark, were 2.8% lower at €59 a megawatt-hour by 8:29 a.m. in Amsterdam.

The region’s storage sites are around 81% full, some 20 percentage points above the five-year average. That’s providing confidence that Europe will end the winter with inventories over 50% and “more than enough gas to completely replenish its storage by the start of next winter,”

Gas prices may have dropped, but are still almost double their five-year average for the time of year.

Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ebrahim Raisi.

Russia said Dec. 28 it will ban crude supplies to countries that observe the G7's $60/b price cap from Feb. 1 for five months. The retaliatory move, which applies at all stages of supply to the final buyer, had been widely flagged by Russia and expected by the global oil market.

Одной из тем встречи стал проект по объединению энергосистем России, Азербайджана и Ирана. Николай Шульгинов отметил, что необходимо активизировать работу в этом направлении.

Средняя стоимость нефти Brent в 2023 году может составить $100 долларов за баррель, а дисконт Urals, скорее всего, сохранится в среднем около $25 за баррель.

Russia and Iran, under tremendous pressure from sanctions, are turning toward each other—and they’re both looking eastward, too.