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European gas Pipeline pressures 欧洲天然气 管道压力 The battle over gas prices in Europe 欧洲的天然气价格之战 NO ONE likes getting a gas bill. But Europe s biggest utilities are especially upset over thesums they must pay gas producers, in particular Russia s state-backed giant, Gazprom. 没人乐意收到天然气账单，而欧洲最大的天燃气公司对于向天然气供应商支付的账单尤其感到沮丧，特别是俄国政府撑腰的巨头俄罗斯天燃气公司的账单。 Some are trying to cut those costs; but with little in the way of leverage over producers theirchances of success look slender. 有些燃气公司想削减开支，但是几乎没有任何制衡供应商的手段，所以成功的希望渺茫。 Gas prices in continental Europe are mainly set by a decades-old system of long-termcontracts, linked to the price of oil. 欧洲的天然气定价是有几十年历史的长期合同方式，合同价格和石油挂钩。 But in relatively liberalised Britain gas is largely traded at spot prices set by current supplyand demand. 但是在市场相对自由的英国，天然气以供需决定的市场价格进行交易。 This handed an advantage to some smaller European utilities with interconnections to theBritish spot market when, in 2008, gas prices suddenly fell. | 
