Slovakia has enough gas for upcoming heating season, economy minister says

(Reuters) -Slovakia has enough gas stored up for the upcoming heating season and it is prepared for even a complete stop to supply from Russia, Economy Minister Richard Sulik said on Tuesday.

The country, which was completely dependent on Russian gas, has been looking for alternative routes since February when Russia sent troops into Ukraine, Sulik said.

"There is so much gas in storage owned by Slovak firms, in Slovak territory, that even if not a single cubic metre comes from Russia as of today, we are saturated until the end of March 2023," Sulik said at a televised media conference.

State-owned SPP gas provider has struck deals to buy piped Norwegian gas and for shipments of LNG.

Sulik said that Slovakia's current gas reserves cover 49% of its annual gas consumption, ranking the country among the best prepared in the European Union.

(Reporting by Robert Muller and Jason Hovet; editing by Jason Neely)