Large Russian companies are still afraid to enter Crimea because of sanctions: Gazprom refused to build a gas pipeline to Crimea and own it. Some unknown company will lay the pipe, and Chernomorneftegaz will most likely own it, writes Kommersant.
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Deputy head of the Ministry of Energy Kirill Molodtsov officially confirmed for the first time that Gazprom will not build a gas pipeline through the Kerch Strait to Crimea. According to him, this will be done by “organizations that specialize in the construction of gas pipelines.” The monopoly will not become the owner of the pipe, Molodtsov said.
But, according to the head of Crimea Sergei Aksenov, Gazprom will finance the construction of the Kuban-Crimea gas pipeline and gasification of the peninsula. “The construction will most likely be carried out by a contractor from the Russian mainland who has experience,” he added. Minister of Fuel and Energy of Crimea Sergei Egorov clarified that the owner of the Kuban-Crimea gas pipeline will be determined upon completion of construction. “It will be operated by Chernomorneftegaz.”.
Now Crimea is fully supplied with gas through the production of Chernomorneftegaz (about 1,9 billion cubic meters per year). Additional gas will be required by 2018, when it is planned to launch 900 MW of thermal power plants in Crimea, which will make the peninsula independent of supplies from Ukraine. Construction of the gas pipeline should begin in the first half of 2016 and be completed in 2018. The project will be prepared by October-November 2015, it is being carried out by the Crimean Institute “Shelf”. The length of the pipe is 135 km, the maximum capacity is 4 billion cubic meters.