(They talk real tough until the heat gets shut off): The gas that came in from the cold: Britain turns to sanctioned Russian energy to avoid big freeze

The gas that came in from the cold: Britain turns to sanctioned Russian energy to avoid big freeze

With gas supplies crippled amid a freezing winter by the shutdown of a major pipeline, the UK has apparently turned to a Russian project targeted by US sanctions, with reports indicating that a deal was struck for a shipment of gas by the end of December.

Some 170,000 cubic meters of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carried by the Christophe de Margerie ice-class tanker, the first vessel of the Novatek-operated Yamal project in the Arctic, has been bought by a British energy company. It is now heading to the Isle of Grain terminal in the UK, the Telegraph reported.

(Link to Telegraph article:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/12/13/russia-send-first-arctic-...)

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The disruption was compounded by an explosion at a major processing facility in Austria, the combination of which has caused wholesale gas prices to hit their highest level for six years, increasing by more than 50percent in the space of 24 hours.

To add to the problems, the Morecambe gas field in the Irish Sea is processing half its usual supply and there have also been stoppages in the Dutch and Norwegian operations that supply the UK’s energy needs.

And all this comes as temperatures in central England have plummeted to minus 13 degrees Celsius: almost 15 degrees chillier than the usual average December low.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Theresa May has escalated her anti-Russian rhetoric in recent weeks, accusing Moscow of interfering in elections and looking to “weaponise information to challenge the West.” And the Conservative-led British government has been among the loudest voices calling for penalties and embargoes against Russia.

https://www.rt.com/uk/413034-russian-gas-sanctions-uk-shutdown/

The freaking hypocrisy is stunning. What if Putin had told the Twits, er...I mean Brits, to freeze? The money would be a hard to pass up, but what if Russia! Russia! Russia! had told them to freeze in retaliation for all the lies, sanctions, threats, and NATO game playing on its borders? What would they do? And if course the poor man’s Margaret Thatcher and the other Conservative jackasses are still rattling their sabers. If not for the fact so many innocents would suffer, it would serve the Twits right if Putim got revenge for their constant lies and threats.

Funny how the Twits haven’t called for a trade embargo on Russan liquified natural gas, isn’t it?

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WoodsDweller's picture

With the depletion of the North Sea, the UK has become an energy importer, and all of Europe needs a supplier for natural gas. That's Qatar, Iran, Turkmenistan, and Russia. Turkmen gas is delivered through Russian pipelines and then through Ukraine. Qatar and Iran both need pipelines through Syria. Syria chose poorly and a week later we were at war.
The US wants Europe to buy Qatari gas, shutting Russia out of a huge market that brings both foreign exchange and political influence, as noted in the OP.
"I see, we're having problems coming to terms. Tell you what, it's winter and I'll just turn this valve off and we'll revisit the issue in a couple of months. Happy Holidays!"

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"The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function." -- Albert Bartlett
"A species that is hurtling toward extinction has no business promoting slow incremental change." -- Caitlin Johnstone

Amanda Matthews's picture

@WoodsDweller
it wants every day. And the Russians! Russians! Russians! are getting more and more.

Both the grey old mare and the US just ain’t what they used to be. Most of the planet recognizes the threat we pose to ever finding a semblance of ‘peace’ on this planet.

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I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks

Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa

divineorder's picture

More on retrofitting conservation measures and installing more renewables?

Will we?

Resistance to renewable s is a political thing there, as here.

Edit: Putin is controlling my autocorrect!!! /s

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A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.

dervish's picture

Sanctions are fine in warm weather, yet as soon as they need something, the sanctions disappear!

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"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."