With December approaching, there is still no deal on securing Georgia’s natural gas supply through the winter months.

While government officials insist there is nothing to worry about, some Tbilisi residents already report gas supply problems. While there is no definite link so far between service interruptions and potentially dwindling supplies, the specter of another frigid winter—like that of two winters ago, when the main gas pipeline from Russia was damaged in unexplained explosions—looms large.

Georgia receives approximately half of its gas supply from Russian company Gazprom and the rest from Azerbaijan; however, the government hopes to secure as much of its supply as possible from Baku, minimizing its reliance on Russia.

With President Mikheil Saakashvili’s re-election campaign underway, there will be more pressure on the government to ensure a reliable and affordable gas supply is secured.

Economist Gia Khukhashvili warns that with Russian-Georgian relations at a low ebb, diversifying the country’s gas supply is a priority.

“The situation between Georgia and Russia has worsened, and problems with the Russian gas supply are expected. So we must aim to import as much as possible from Azerbaijan and start negotiations with Turkey too,” Khukhashvili said, according to the newspaper Alia.