The company has resumed buying gas from Russia, and is paying for it in euros, said Kalvītis, a former Latvian Prime Minister. He said that the gas is not being bought from Gazprom (which holds a 34% stake in Latvijas Gāze), but he refused to reveal the name of the new Russian supplier on the basis that "it is commercial information that we do not discuss in the public space."
Edijs Šaicāns, the deputy state secretary of the Ministry of Economy, revealed that the Ministry doesn't know from whom "Latvijas gāze" now buys natural gas, either.
“Latvijas gāzes” vadītājs Aigars Kalvītis apstiprina, ka uzņēmums atsācis iegādāties gāzi no Krievijas, par to maksājot eiro. Gāze netiekot pirkta no “Gazprom”. Taču jaunā piegādātāja nosaukumu, no kura Krievijā gāze tiek pirkta, Kalvītis atteicās izpaust. https://t.co/Xu64O5ChqO pic.twitter.com/PeCmrmY1Yf
— LTV Ziņu dienests (@ltvzinas) July 28, 2022
"It's probably not a big secret that gas from Russia can be bought by traders all over the region who can be counted on one hand," said Šaicāns.
By law, the Saeima has banned all gas supplies from Russia from the beginning of next year, but he law also allowed "Latvijas gāze" to pump enough natural gas into the giant Inčukalns storage facility until August 31, to ensure supplies throughout the winter.
Šaicāns indicated that the Ministry will monitor whether "Latvijas gāze" fulfills this obligation.