Germany has received the first direct gas deliveries from France through a pipeline link under an agreement to help ease the current energy supply problems.
France, which is less exposed to Russian imports than its eastern neighbour as most of its needs are filled from Norway and through LNG deliveries, will at first deliver 31 gigawatt hours (GWh) per day, using a pipeline in the Moselle region, GRTgaz said.
The maximum capacity of the new gas link is 100 GWh/d, the operator said in a statement, reported by Reuters.
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck welcomed the news.
"This is a good and important sign of European solidarity," Habeck said. "And it shows that in a spirit of solidarity even difficult technical issues can be resolved."
Although the new flows even at maximum capacity represent less than 2% of Germany's daily needs, the direct supplies from France were eagerly awaited as Berlin rushes to find alternative supplies and keep its industry alive.
Under the agreement reached by the euro zone's two largest countries in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Germany also pledged to provide France, which is currently plagued by nuclear reactor outages, additional electricity if needed.
Gas pipeline link secures deliveries from France to Germany
