Finland faces Russian gas shutdown: press
Finland fears Gazprom could shut off gas supplies from Russia from as soon as Friday, Reuters reported on May 12, citing local newspaper Iltalehti's sources.
Helsinki has said it has contingency plans in place having stood firm on its posture of refusing to pay for Russian imports in roubles, in line with the EU's stance.
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It comes as Finland's president Sauli Niinisto and his premier Sanna Marin have said they will ask to join NATO. The leaders said earlier today they would apply "without delay", comments that have drawn a rebuke from the Kremlin and the threat of retaliation, further raising temperatures surrounding Ukraine.
But if Gazprom does proceed May 13 with the curtailment of all gas transit to Finland, Helsinki believes its backstop will be sufficient to avoid major difficulties.
The share of Finnish energy consumption attributed to natural gas is relatively low. Gas accounted for just 6.2% of national energy supplies in 2020, and consumption declined by almost half over the preceding ten years, from 4.1bn m3 in 2010 to 2bn m3 two years ago.