据路透社奥斯陆11月27日报道，欧洲10年来第一条新的天然气互联管道，从1月起连接芬兰和爱沙尼亚，这条管线将削弱俄罗斯天然气工业股份公司（俄气/ Gazprom）对波罗的海地区的控制，并引发价格竞争。

这条名为“Balticconnector”的管道将帮助芬兰实现天然气供应多样化（目前芬兰的天然气供应完全来自俄罗斯），而且还可以向波罗的海国家输送天然气，这些国家的天然气来自俄罗斯以及立陶宛的克莱佩达液化天然气 (LNG)终端 。

虽然这条管道将输送部分俄罗斯天然气，但它主要是由欧盟资助的项目，欧盟承担了其3亿欧元(3.3081亿美元)成本的75%，该管道所有者，芬兰Baltic Connector公司以及爱沙尼亚Elering公司承担剩余部分。

在开通之时，由于没有其它来自欧洲的管道供应，Balticconnector将只能从俄罗斯位于芬兰和波罗的海的入境点输送天然气，从克莱佩达终端再气化LNG，或从拉脱维亚 Incukalns储存天然气。

由于俄罗斯在芬兰和波罗的海地区有不同的供应合同，它们之间的价格各不相同，储存的天然气价值与季节和天气有关，而LNG价格则跟随全球市场。丰富而廉价的LNG已经降低了俄气在更广阔的欧洲市场份额。

该管道所有者告诉路透社，为了与LNG竞争，俄气可能不得不改变其在芬兰的定价。

Elering市场开发经理Erkki Sapp表示: “俄气的供应合同因国家不同而不同，这些合同之间也存在竞争，俄气在该地区的进口能力比LNG更强。”

Baltic Connector首席执行官Herkko Plit也预计俄气会降低价格，他告诉路透社：“还记得在克莱佩达的终端开放时发生了什么吗？俄气降价20%，俄气作为芬兰-波罗的海市场的一个积极参与者，该公司可能会相应地调整价格。”

詹晓晶摘自 路透社

原文如下：

Europe's newest gas link set to hit Gazprom prices around the Baltic Sea

O Europe’s first new gas interconnector in a decade, linking Finland and Estonia from January, will weaken Gazprom’s hold on the Baltic Sea region and spark price competition, the pipeline’s owners said.

The pipeline, called Balticconnector, will help Finland diversify its gas supplies which are solely Russian, and can also send gas to the Baltics, whose gas comes from Russia and Lithuania’s Klaipeda liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal.

Although the pipeline will partly carry Russian gas, it is a mostly European Union (EU)-funded project, with the EU covering 75% of its 300 million euro ($330.81 million) cost. Its owners, Finland’s Baltic Connector and Estonia’s Elering cover the rest.

In the absence of other piped supplies from Europe at the time of its opening, Balticconnector will only carry gas from Russian entry points in Finland and the Baltics, regasified LNG from Klaipeda, or stored gas from Latvia’s Incukalns.

Prices between them vary as Russia has different supply contracts in Finland and the Baltics, the stored gas value is seasonal and weather-related, while LNG follows the global market. Abundant and cheap LNG has already reduced Gazprom’s share of the wider European market.

Gazprom may have to change its pricing in Finland to compete against LNG, the pipe’s owners told Reuters.

“Αs Gazprom supply contracts are different for the different countries then there is also competition between these contracts... There is more import capacity of Russian gas in the region than LNG,” Elering’s market development manager Erkki Sapp said.

Baltic Connector’s Chief Executive Herkko Plit also expected Gazprom to lower its prices.

“Remember what happened in Klaipeda when the terminal opened there? Gazprom dropped their prices by 20%. Gazprom might, as an active player in the (Finnish-Baltic) market, adjust their prices accordingly,” he told Reuters.