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Polish court orders Ukrainian in Nord Stream case to remain in custody
A Polish court ruled Wednesday that a Ukrainian dive, sought by Berlin for his alleged participation in explosions that damaged the Nord Stream pipeline, must remain in custody until a decision on whether or not to transfer him to Germany is made. The explosions, which were deemed an act of sabotage by both Moscow as well as the West, marked an intensification in the Ukraine conflict. They also squeezed the energy supply on the continent. The blasts have not been attributed to anyone, and Ukraine has denied all involvement. Volodymyr Z., was arrested near Warsaw Tuesday. Volodymyr Z. will be held in custody now for seven days. Tymoteusz Paprocki, his lawyer, told reporters that he would appeal the decision. He said that if someone lives in a country for more than three and a half years, saying there's a danger of escaping is not convincing. The top German prosecutor's office announced on Tuesday that Polish police had responded to a European arrest order it had issued. The statement stated that the diver was part of a group suspected of renting a yacht in Rostock, a German port on the Baltic Sea, and planting explosives near Bornholm, a Danish island, in September 2022. The German prosecutor added that he faces charges of conspiracy to commit an explosives assault and "anti-constitutional" sabotage. Italian police arrested an Ukrainian man in August suspected of orchestrating the attacks. His legal team stated that the man, who was identified as Serhii, would be taking his case against extradition before Italy's highest courts after a lower judge ordered his transfer to Germany. (Reporting and additional reporting by Pawel F. Florkiewicz, Ludwig Burger and Alan Charlish; writing and editing by Elaine Hardcastle, Ros Russell and Elaine Hardcastle)
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Polish court orders Ukrainian in Nord Stream case to remain in custody
A Polish court ruled on Wednesday that a Ukrainian diver sought by Berlin for his alleged involvement with explosions that damaged the Nord Stream pipeline must remain in custody until a decision on whether or not to transfer him to Germany is made. The explosions, which were deemed an act of sabotage by both Moscow as well as the West, marked an escalation of the Ukraine conflict. They also squeezed the energy supply on the continent. The blasts have not been attributed to anyone, and Ukraine has denied all involvement. Volodymyr Z., was arrested near Warsaw Tuesday. Volodymyr Z. will be held in custody now for seven days. The top German prosecutor's office has said that the Polish police acted on a European arrest order it issued. The statement stated that the diver was part of a group suspected of renting a yacht in Rostock, a German port on the Baltic Sea, and planting explosives near Bornholm, a Danish island, in September 2022. The German prosecutor added that he faces charges of conspiracy to commit a terrorist attack, as well as "anti-constitutional" sabotage. Italian police arrested an Ukrainian man in August suspected of orchestrating the attacks. The man, who was identified as Serhii, will take his case against extradition before Italy's highest courts after a lower judge ordered his transfer to Germany. His legal team confirmed this. (Reporting and writing by Anna Koper; Editing and proofreading by Elaine Hardcastle).
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Gassco: Norway's gas sales likely to fall short this year of records
Gassco, the operator of Norway's gas transmission system that serves Britain and continental Europe, said on Wednesday that the company expects to export high volumes of gas this year. However, it is unlikely to surpass the record-breaking level of last year. Norway is Europe's biggest gas supplier after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 2022. It meets over 30% of its consumption. However, volumes vary depending on demand, maintenance, and other issues that affect capacity. Gassco provided data showing that the total deliveries from January to August were 76.8 billion cubic metres (bcm), which is equivalent to 848.6 Terawatt Hours (TWh). This compares to 80.3 bcm in 2024 for the same time period. Alfred Skaar Hansen, Gassco's director of system operations, said: "It will be difficult to achieve a record in this year. I believe that it is a goal (too) hard to reach." Gassco achieved a record in 2024 of 117,6 bcm gas transported throughout its system. The company has an 8,800 km (5.468 mile) pipeline network that connects Norwegian gas fields with Germany, Belgium France, Britain, and Denmark. Deliveries are usually close to 340 millions cubic metres (mcm). The Norwegian state-owned firm Gassco said that after extensive annual maintenance, during which deliveries fell to as low as 217mcm in recent weeks, it is expected the Gassco system will deliver with high reliability for the winter season from October 1 to March 31. Gassco data shows that on Wednesday, the supply nominations for the day stood at 278,8 mcm, and most maintenance works have now been completed. The capacity at the Kollsnes plant will be temporarily reduced up until 18 October due to an error in the electricity grid that supplies power to the site.
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Ukraine's Naftogaz receives a loan of 300 million euros for winter gas purchases
The Ukrainian state energy company Naftogaz announced on Wednesday that it had signed a loan agreement with the European Investment Bank worth 300 million euros ($352 millions) for the purchase of gas ahead of winter heating season. Naftogaz is stepping up its efforts to secure funding for the purchase of enough gas to see Ukraine through the winter, after Russian strikes at production facilities reduced domestic output by 40%. Naftogaz agreed to invest an amount equal to the EIB's loan in renewable energy and decarbonisation initiatives as part of this agreement. "300 million euros from the EIB are substantial and practical assistance that will help us ensure the country's resilience in energy ahead of winter," said Naftogaz Chief Executive Officer Sergii Koretskyi. He stated that the company is pumping gas underground for winter storage as planned and that it has now reached its storage target of 95-98%. According to the government, Ukraine will need at least 13,2 billion cubic meters of gas during 2025/26's heating season that begins in mid-October. Naftogaz stated that the loan would allow for an approximate purchase of 0.6 billion cubic meters of gas. Ukraine had to import gas in spring 2025 due to the attacks of hundreds of drones, missiles and other weapons that targeted the country's production facility. Koretskyi claims that the gas purchased using the loan may be of any nationality except Russian. He stated that Naftogaz increased its imports of U.S. LNG by a significant amount this year, which represented 8% of the total imports. Koretskyi stated that the company has purchased 0.5 billion cubic meters of U.S. LNG. The majority of the LNG has been delivered already to the country. ($1 = 0.8516 euro) (Reporting and writing by Pavel Polityuk and Yuliia Diasa, Editing by Tomasz Janovowski and Elaine Hardcastle).
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German electricity grid fees to drop by over half in 2026
Transmission system operators in Germany announced preliminary electricity grid charges for 2026. They project a 57% decrease, subject to government subsidies. This reduction will help consumers and industrial clients who are suffering from high electricity prices in Europe. Grid operators 50Hertz Amprion TenneT TransnetBW announced in a statement that the fees will drop from 6.65 cents to 2.86 cents for each kilowatt-hour (kWh). This is due to a subsidy of 6.5 billion euros ($7.6billion) from the national climate fund. They added that the reduction is dependent on the approval of legislation in Parliament by December 5. Transmission fees, levies, and taxes are increasing the price of electricity in Germany, adding an additional burden to energy-intensive industries as well as the economy. BDEW, the industry association for energy, reports that private consumers pay an average of 40 cents per kilogram of electricity, a 20% increase from before the energy crisis caused by Russia's invasion. The coalition government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz plans to reduce the electricity tax for industrial and agricultural sectors to the European Minimum.
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Serbia's NIS is granted a waiver of US sanctions until October 8.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury granted a special license delaying the full sanctions against Serbia's Russian owned oil company NIS, allowing it to continue operations until October 8, NIS announced on Wednesday. NIS is the sole oil refinery operating in the Balkans. The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury placed initial sanctions on Russia's petroleum sector on 10 January, and gave Gazprom a 45-day deadline to sell its NIS holdings. The U.S. announced sanctions last week, after several delays. Sanctions are a possibility Launched on October 1, NIS, of which Gazprom owns 44.9%, Gazprom 11.3%, and the Serbian Government 29.9%, operates Serbia's only refinery in Pancevo just outside Belgrade. Pancevo has a capacity of 4.8 millions tons per year, which is enough to cover the majority of Balkan countries' needs. Sanctions could threaten its crude supply via Croatia's Janaf. In a Wednesday statement, JANAF said that it has also been granted a license to transport crude oil on behalf of NIS up until October 8. It said that JANAF d.d. would apply to OFAC in the next few days through its American attorney and with the Government of the Republic of Croatia's support, with the goal of extending the license. The possibility of extending this licence beyond October 8, 2025 is heavily dependent on the activities that the NIS a.d. company undertakes, according to the American institutions. (Reporting and editing by Sharon Singleton, Ed Osmond and Antonis Pothitos)
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Prices of November ESPO blend oil fall as Chinese refiners exhaust their import quotas
Three traders said that the premiums for Russia's ESPO blend crude oil loaded from Kozmino have fallen for November-loadings because independent Chinese refiners - key buyers of this grade - are facing dwindling import quotas. Traders said that cargoes due to be loaded from the Far Eastern Port of Kozmino, in November, were sold for a premium of about $1.70 per barrelle to ICE Brent, on a delivery-basis to Chinese ports. This is down from around $2 per barrelle at October levels. Independent refiners in China are subject to a strict quota-based system. State-run refiners like Sinopec PetroChina and CNOOC, which are dominant in the industry, are exempted from these limits. However, independent refineries and four large integrated refiners, known as teapots, rely on government issued quotas for foreign crude. The independent refiners are responsible for over one-third (33%) of China's total crude oil imports. Their purchasing power is a major driver for the demand for Russian grades. In the last few weeks, traders have reported that import quotas are running out. Sources at two independent factories said that they had applied for new permits but hadn't heard when they would be released. A small number of permits have been requested by refineries for 2026. The same permits were issued a year ago, in November 2024. One trader who deals in Russian oil noted that the competition is increasing. Traders said that the demand for Russian oil is still strong. This includes Urals, Sakhalin, and Arctic blends. The December ESPO blend oil cargoes have just begun trading and traders say that low import quotas could weigh heavily on the prices. Terminal operators at a major oil terminal in the east China province of Shandong are planning to implement measures to prohibit shadow fleet vessels, and to limit visits from other old tanks. This will further complicate Russian oil sales. The freight rates for Russian oil shipping to Chinese ports from Kozmino remained at $2-$3 million per one-way Aframax tanker trip. Reporting by reporters from MOSCOW, Siyi Liu, and Aizhu Chan in SINGAPORE. Editing by Elaine Hardcastle.
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India eases aircraft leasing terms to boost IndiGo
Draft regulations from India's aviation regulator show that the requirement that airlines only lease planes with crews in emergency situations is being removed. This could help carriers cope better with any aircraft shortages. The proposed rules may help airlines such as India's largest carrier IndiGo, which took two planes and crews on a so-called "wet lease" from Turkish Airlines. This allowed it to provide connectivity between flights in Europe and the United States. Air India has been irritated by the partnership. It unsuccessfully tried to lobby the Indian government to stop it. They argued that it would give more air traffic in Turkey and harm India's aviation industry. According to the regulations of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, airlines were only allowed to lease aircraft in emergencies such as when an unexpected grounding of an aircraft occurred. Lawyers said that the new draft proposal replaces "only" with "normally", potentially making it easier to process such requests. Lovejeet Sing, a specialist in aviation law and partner at Chandhiok & Mahajan, said that this added flexibility would be crucial in easing the capacity constraint, particularly in light of limited availability of larger aircraft. The proposal was not reported before it appeared on the DGCA website. The proposal is open to public consultations through October 28. IndiGo and the DGCA did not answer questions about planned regulatory changes. IndiGo's Turkish partner has been criticized in India over the past few months, after Turkey supported Pakistan in the recent India-Pakistan war. The Indian government initially said that it would not extend the lease. However, in August it reversed course without providing any reason for IndiGo to continue. The new draft rules say that the watchdog may exempt this requirement for a single time. (Reporting and editing by Abhijith Ganahapavaram, Aditya Kalra, and Ros Russell).
Airbus treads a tightrope in its expansion plans to the US and China
Airbus will inaugurate a new assembly line in the United States on October 13, followed by an expansion of another similar facility in China a few days later. The ceremonies are being held back-to-back to avoid a difficult trade climate.
Sources say that the planemaker is also in negotiations to sell 500 planes to China. This goal was first reported by the magazine in April. However, it's likely only to receive a portion of the order to coincide with factory expansion.
Airbus has declined to comment on the production or orders pending.
In order to increase production of the A320neo jet family, which is its best-selling model, from 75 per month today to 75 in 2027, the world's biggest planemaker has increased capacity. Mobile, Alabama and Tianjin in China are among the locations where capacity will be doubled.
Washington and Beijing are engaged in a trade war that has lasted for months since the announcement of overseas plans in 2022 or 2023. Airbus and other European companies have been anxious not to offend either trading power.
One of the sources stated that there is a great deal of concern about how this issue is perceived.
Alabama's Dept of Commerce announced last month that Airbus would be opening its second U.S. facility in Mobile, Alabama, in October. The department pledged to make the plant more competitive than France or Germany.
Airbus had previously stated that the second Chinese production line would be opened at the end this year with deliveries beginning in 2026. Sources said that the ceremony would take place in the week after the Mobile inauguration to highlight efforts to achieve an equal approach for the two biggest jet markets.
Bloomberg reported that in August, Chinese airlines began dividing a 500 plane Airbus order while Boeing waited for a similar Chinese order coinciding with the trade talks.
Airbus' board will be in India this week as part of its global aerospace strategy.
India wants to build an assembly line in India to meet the huge orders of Airbus jets that Indian airlines have placed, and also to match Airbus' investment in commercial factories in China, its strategic rival. Airbus is unwilling to consider this due to the stretched global supply chain.
The company is instead concentrating on the assembly of military transporters and announced on Wednesday that it will also locate a planned heliport in Vemagal (Karnataka) jointly with Tata Advanced Systems.
A spokesperson for Airbus confirmed the visit of the board and stated that it was a reflection of India's importance in terms both of its market and as an operations hub. (Tim Hepher contributed additional reporting. Jane Merriman edited the article.
(source: Reuters)