Denmark becomes latest country to have gas taps turned off by Russia

Denmark joins Bulgaria, Finland, Poland and the Netherlands in having supplies cut

The Danish Energy Agency said that in the first 18 weeks of 2022, Russian gas amounted to approximately 25 per cent of EU gas consumption (AP)

Russia is cutting off its gas supply to Denmark from Wednesday, officials in Copenhagen said, the latest escalation over European energy amid the war in Ukraine.

Danish energy company Orsted said the tap was being turned off because it refused to pay Moscow in roubles.

Russia has previously halted natural gas supplies to Finland, Poland and Bulgaria for refusing a demand to pay in roubles.

And on Tuesday, the tap was turned off to the Netherlands.

“We stand firm in our refusal to pay in roubles and we’ve been preparing for this scenario,” CEO Mads Nipper said.

“The situation underpins the need of the EU becoming independent of Russian gas by accelerating the build-out of renewable energy.”

Orsted said it still expects to be able to serve its customers.

The Danish Energy Agency said that in the first 18 weeks of 2022, Russian gas amounted to approximately 25 per cent of EU gas consumption.

The agency said that Denmark losing its supply would not have immediate consequences.

“We still have gas in Denmark, and consumers can still have gas delivered,” Kristoffer Bottzauw, head of the Danish Energy Agency, said in a statement on Monday.

“But we have plans ready if the situation worsens.”

Since there is no pipeline going directly from Russia to Denmark, Russia will not be able to directly cut off gas supplies to Denmark, which will still be able to get it, Orsted said.

In Denmark, some 380,000 households use natural gas for heating via gas boilers, the agency said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared in the wake of western sanctions that “unfriendly foreign buyers” needed to open two accounts with state-owned Gazprombank, one to pay in euros and dollars as specified in contracts and another in roubles.

The move came as polling stations opened in Denmark for voters to decide whether to abandon their country’s 30-year-old opt-out from the European Union’s common defence policy.

Blue and red gas flames on a kitchen gas stove are pictured in Copenhagen (Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Ima)

The referendum is the latest example of European countries seeking closer defence links with allies in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

It follows Sweden and Finland’s historic bids to join Nato, which plans to take up their applications at the end of the month.

Some 4.2 million Danish voters are eligible to cast ballots in the referendum.

The “yes” side - in favour of getting rid of the 1992 opt-out - has been ahead in recent months.

Polls showed it with around 40 per cent support and the “no” side with 30 per cent.

“The world is changing and not in a good way. We need to stand together and strengthen the co-operation that strengthens our security,” Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, head of the opposition Liberal Party, said.

Recent polls showed that about 20 per cent of voters remained undecided.