EUROPE GAS-Price dip as mild temperatures curb demand

LONDON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - British and Dutch gas prices fell
on Monday morning with milder than previously expected
temperatures curbing demand for gas.

The British day-ahead gas price was down by 9.50
pence at 180.00 pence per therm by 1028 GMT.

The Dutch day-ahead contract at the TTF hub was
down 3.05 at 77.15 euros per megawatt hour (MWh).

British local distribution zone (LDZ) demand, which is
primarily used for heating, was forecast at 211 million cubic
metres/day (mcm) for Monday, falling to 180 mcm on Tuesday,
analysts at Refinitiv said in a daily research note.

The forecast for Tuesday was down 30 mcm on previous
expectations.

"The next several days until the weekend will be mostly dry
and occasionally even sunny in the southern parts. Temperatures
will be above normal but slowly decreasing towards the weekend,"
Refinitiv meteorologist George Muller said on Monday in his
forecast for Central Europe and the UK.

Prices also fell on the curve but traders said concerns over
the build up of troops on the Russia/Ukraine border and fears
over possible gas supply disruptions were likely to prevent any
dramatic price falls.

The British March contract was down 10.50 pence
at 188 pence/therm and its Dutch TTF equivalent
fell 3.1 euros to 77.50 euros/MWh.

French president Emmanuel Macron is due to meet Russian
President Vladimir Putin on Monday with Macron expected to
propose ways to ease tensions.

Eastbound flows to Poland from Germany via the Mallnow
metering point, which usually sends Russian gas westwards into
Europe, were at 1.07 million kilowatt hours per hour (kWh/h),
unchanged from the weekend and below 1.5 million kWh/h seen on
Thursday and Friday.

In other markets, the benchmark December 2022 carbon
contract fell 2.2 euros to 94.25 euros/tonne.

The contract hit a record high of 97.50 euros on Friday,
raising expectations it could soon reach a landmark 100 euros a
tonne.
(Reporting By Susanna Twidale; editing by Nina Chestney)