Call to “tighten up” gas taps will no longer save Ukraine – expert
A likely stop in gas transit through the Ukrainian gas transportation system in the coming winter due to the failure to sign a new contract with the Russian Federation will lead to the fact that the pressure in the pipelines will drop so much that limiting consumption, as at the end of winter 2018, will no longer save the situation.
Ukrainian energy expert Gennady Ryabtsev stated this on Channel 4 TV channel, PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“I wonder how they prepare. What is the preparation? Do they prepare night and day? In my opinion, if you are preparing, then you need to develop some kind of algorithm of actions in case transit stops and the pressure in the pipeline drops.
But for some reason it seems to me that instead it will be what happened quite recently - Kobolev (the head of Naftogaz - ed.) will come to the president and say: “oh, let's tighten it up. Here, here is Russia, it is an aggressor country, ah-ah-ah. Let's reduce consumption."
But when the pressure in transit pipelines decreases not by 20%, as was the case at the end of February last year, but by 80% or when there is no pressure at all, it will not be possible to simply “tighten it up.” Gas simply will not reach consumers in the eastern and southern parts of Ukraine,” the expert warned.
Ryabtsev also said that, contrary to reports from officials about reducing dependence on Russia, Ukraine was unable to increase gas production on its territory.
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