Trilateral gas consortium an optimal solution, say Ukrainian experts
Kyiv, January 19 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The creation of a gas transportation consortium between Ukraine, Russia and the European Union is the most optimal solution to the gas problem, as it could be economically effective and help prevent political pressure affecting the sphere, members of the expert council on the development of the gas industry and the natural gas market said during a press conference hosted by Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday.
"A trilateral consortium could help prevent economically ineffective decisions being taken to satisfy political interests. We will be the losers in a bilateral consortium," member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU) and Honorary Director of the Institute of Gas of the NASU Ihor Karp said.
"Russia should guarantee amounts of gas transit, European companies should secure consumption of this gas and invest funds in the modernization and reconstruction of Ukraine's gas transport system," according to Director General of Naftogazbudinformatyka Ltd. Leonid Unihovsky.
He said that obtaining guarantees of amounts of gas transit is a key task of Kyiv at gas negotiations to preserve the domestic gas transport system. According to the expert, Slovakia is Ukraine's ally, as it may lose 25 to 27 billion cubic meters of gas transit per year because of the construction of bypassing gas pipelines.
President of the Ukrainian Oil and Gas Academy and former Deputy Minister of Fuel and Energy Minister of Ukraine Bohdan Kliuk also said that Ukraine country has to receive guarantees of full loading of its gas transport system considering the fact that transit of gas can be reduced from 120 to 80 billion cubic meters per year.
According to Kliuk, Ukraine's GTS should cut down on fuel gas consumption after its modernization. He added that Ukraine produces pipes and other equipment of the necessary quality to increase the pressure in the pipeline and double the distance between gas pumping stations to 200 kilometers.
As reported, in 2011 natural gas transit across Ukraine to Europe and the CIS was up by 5.7%, or by 5.6 billion cubic meters, year-over-year to 104.2 billion cubic meters. Transit to Western Europe increased by 5.9% to 101.1 billion cubic meters.