Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and President of Poland Andrzej Duda have ordered the acceleration of building a gas interconnector between the two countries, press secretary of the Ukrainian president Sviatoslav Tseholko wrote on Twitter.

As reported, Ukraine's gas transportation operator Ukrtransgaz and Polish gas transportation operator Gaz-System have prepared a feasibility study for the construction of a gas interconnector between the two countries with a total length of 99.3 km. The construction will start in 2017.

The first phase of the project includes the construction of an interconnector, which should provide an increase in natural gas exports from Poland to Ukraine with an annual capacity of up to 5 billion cubic meters. The second phase of the project will make it possible to increase export volumes to 8 billion cubic meters per year. At the same time, the decision on the second phase will depend on the confirmed interest in the market.

Ukrtransgaz and Gaz-System S.A. signed an agreement on cooperation in preparing the feasibility study on December 17, 2014. The document provides for not only the integration of the gas transportation systems of both countries in order to increase gas imports to Ukraine from Europe through Poland but also ensuring European gas storage in Ukraine's underground gas storage facilities and its subsequent supply to EU consumers.