MOSCOW: The Yamal-Europe pipeline that usually delivers Russian gas to Western Europe was sending fuel to Poland for the 12th straight day on Saturday at elevated levels, data from German network operator Gascade shows.

Flows at the Mallnow metering point on the German-Polish border were going east into Poland at an hourly volume of more than 5.2 million kilowatt hours (kWh/h) on Saturday morning, the data shows, up from around 1.2 million kWh/h in the previous 24 hours.

The pipeline is a major route for Russian gas exports to Europe.

Russian gas continues to flow east via Yamal-Europe pipeline

At the same time, requests for westward flows through the pipeline into Germany at the Mallnow station emerged on Friday for Jan. 1 at 8.3 million kWh/h and now stand at more than 6 million kWh/h.

Auction results showed Russian gas exporter Gazprom has not booked gas transit capacity for exports via the Yamal-Europe pipeline for Saturday.

The company booked 8.3 million kWh/h of gas transit capacity via the Yamal-Europe pipeline for January in a last-month auction.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that Germany was reselling Russian gas to Poland and Ukraine rather than relieving an overheated market, putting blame for the reversal, and rocketing prices, on German gas importers.

The German Economy Ministry has declined comment on Putin's remark. Gas importers have not responded to Reuters requests for comment.

Gas traders are relying on stockpiles to supply European buyers and avoid paying near record-high prices, industry sources and market analysts said, explaining the unusual reverse in direction of flows through the pipeline.