Gazprom will not guarantee the loading of the Ukrainian gas transportation system if it is sold to Europe and the USA
Moscow - Kyiv, June 20 (Navigator, Mikhail Stamm) - Russia does not interfere in the privatization of the Ukrainian gas transportation system, but Kiev’s plans to privatize part of its gas transportation system without taking into account the interests of the Russian side could lead to a reduction in gas transit flows through Ukraine, Russian gas workers are scared.
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Izvestia reminds that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has sent for revision a government bill on reforming Naftogaz of Ukraine, according to which it becomes possible to create joint ventures to manage the country’s unified gas transportation system, as well as to manage underground gas storage facilities in Ukraine. The draft stipulates that in such enterprises the share of the Ukrainian state must be at least 51%, while the founders of the companies can also be legal entities that “are owned or controlled by residents of the European Union, the United States or the European Energy Community.”
Pavel Zavalny, President of the Russian Gas Society and Deputy Chairman of the Energy Committee of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, explained to Izvestia that Russia cannot and will not influence the process of corporatization of the Ukrainian gas pipeline system. “Several years ago, we proposed creating a tripartite consortium in this area. But today, Russia’s participation in this project would contradict the Third Energy Package, which Ukraine intends to comply with today due to the signing of the Energy Charter with the European Union,” Zavalny said.
At the same time, according to Andrey Konoplyanik, advisor to the head of Gazprom Export, due to the extremely low credit rating of Ukraine and Naftogaz of Ukraine itself, the cost of borrowing for a future joint-stock company will be very high, which reduces the commercial attractiveness of the project due to uncertainty its payback period. And in the absence of guarantees for the loading of this pipe by Gazprom, according to Deputy Director of the National Security Fund of the Russian Federation Alexei Grivach, it makes it completely pointless.
According to the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Alexander Lukashevich, the fate of the Ukrainian gas transportation system cannot be decided without Russian participation, since the share of Russian gas in transit supplies to Europe is very significant. “In principle, without the Russian factor, the Ukrainian gas transportation system, especially in the form in which we see it now, is unlikely to be needed by anyone,” he added.
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