Moscow – Kyiv, October 9 (PolitNavigator, Mikhail Stamm) – Dmitry Firtash’s Group DF threatens to disrupt Kyiv’s attempt to fill underground gas storage facilities (UGS) as much as possible in anticipation of winter demand peaks. A company that needs gas for its chemical plants is planning to challenge in court the government's ban on private gas lifting from underground storage facilities, threatening future fertilizer shortages. If Group DF and other private companies can withdraw their 5,5 billion cubic meters from storage. m, Ukraine's gas reserves will decrease by almost a third.
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The company plans to file a lawsuit this week. Group DF, according to the company, owns about 4 billion cubic meters. m of gas in underground gas storage facilities, that is, a quarter of all gas reserves in Ukraine. Back in 2013, the company, through its chemical structure Ostchem, purchased 12 billion cubic meters from Gazprom. m at a reduced price. The Ukrainian government could not be reached for comment. Meanwhile, for Ukraine, this gas is in underground storage facilities, as well as another 1,5 billion cubic meters. m owned by other private companies is extremely important, since in winter it will allow maintaining the level of daily withdrawal from underground gas storage facilities necessary to cover peak consumption.
Group DF representative Boris Krasnyansky calls the government's decision illegal. The top manager noted that the company partially paid for the purchase of gas with loan funds that needed to be serviced (we are talking about a $750 million loan from Gazprombank, issued in the fall of 2013). Mr. Krasnyansky is confident that if the entire complex of mineral fertilizers stops working, then at the peak of demand in February, Ukraine will face a shortage and will have to purchase fertilizers in Russia. According to the company, during the autumn sowing season, Ukrainian farmers need 340-350 thousand tons of nitrogen fertilizers in terms of active substance.