Gas transportation operators of Ukraine and Poland, Ukrtransgaz and Gaz-System, have drawn up a feasibility study for building a gas interconnector between the two countries of 99.3 kilometers long. The companies are ready to start drawing up blueprints..

"The start of construction is scheduled for 2017," the head of the public and media relations department at Ukrtransgaz Maksym Beliavsky said on Wednesday.

He told Interfax-Ukraine that Ukrtransgaz and Gaz-System have approved one of the three routes and seek to start blueprint works in July.

The first phase of the project implies construction of the interconnector intended to increase exports of natural gas from Poland to Ukraine with an annual capacity of up to 5 billion cubic meters. The second phase would boost exports to 8 billion cubic meters a year. The decision to implement the second phase would depend on the situation on the market.

Beliavsky said that the advanced technology of horizontal directional drilling to pass water reservoirs under their beds.

The route crosses 24 rivers, 27 roads and once railway tracks and 14 other gas pipelines.

Ukrtransgaz said that over 1,000 company employees will be involved in the project.

As reported, on December 17, 2014, Ukrtransgaz and Gaz-System signed a cooperation agreement on the preparation of a feasibility study on the merger of the Polish and Ukrainian gas transport systems.

The document foresees not only integration of the gas transport systems of the two states with the purpose of increasing imports of gas to Ukraine from Europe via Poland, but also storage of European gas in Ukrainian underground storage facilities and its supplies to EU consumers.