Russian gas supplies to Ukraine resume
Today at 05:50 hours Gazprom submitted to the Unified Dispatcher Department (ODU) of Naftogaz Ukrainy the first application for the transit of 99.2 million cubic meters of gas per day through GIS Sudzha, which has been ready for pumping gas and was under operational pressure since January 13.
After the applications of European and Ukrainian customers were specified the second application was submitted to ODU for the delivery towards Ukraine of 423.8 million cubic meters of gas per day (the second application includes the first one). 348.8 million cubic meters are intended for export through all major GIS at the entrance to and exit from Ukraine and 75 million cubic meters for Ukrainian consumers.
At 10:05 hours Ukraine began to transit Russian gas to Europe, which was initially pumped through GIS Sudzha. At 11:10 hours after the second application was agreed with the Ukrainian side gas began to be delivered to Ukrainian consumers through other GIS.
The transit of Russian gas to Europe through the territory of Ukraine and supplies to Ukrainian customers were launched according to the agreements reached by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko on the night of January 18. The mentioned agreements envisage the transfer of both countries in their relations in the gas sphere to generally recognized and transparent European pricing rules beginning from 2009.
To implement the reached agreements Gazprom and Naftogaz Ukrainy on January 19 signed in the presence of Russian and Ukrainian prime ministers new long-term separate contracts for the transit of Russian gas to Europe through Ukraine and for gas deliveries to Ukrainian consumers. The contracts envisage no intermediaries between the companies.
The contracts are valid from 2009 to 2018 inclusive.
The transit contract envisages that preferential transit rate of $1.7 for the transportation of 1000 cubic meters per 100 kilometers will remain in place in 2009. The transit through Ukraine will comprise up to 120 billion cubic meters in 2009. From January 1, 2010 the transit tariff will be market-based and will be calculated according to the generally accepted European formula.
According to the contract for gas deliveries to Ukraine, the gas price for Ukrainian consumers has been calculated according to the generally accepted European pricing formula with a 08 decreasing coefficient. Thus, in the first quarter of 2009 the gas price for Ukrainian consumers will comprise $360 per thousand cubic meters. The price will quarterly change. The volume of gas supplied to Ukraine in 2009 will comprise 40 billion cubic meters. From January 1, 2010 Gazprom will begin selling gas to Ukraine at a European market price without discounts.
For the first time the generally accepted European pricing formula, which is acting for all buyers of Russian gas, began to be used in Russian-Ukrainian gas relations. The contract for gas transit through Ukrainian territory and the contract for gas deliveries to Ukrainian consumers have been concluded for 10 years and are independent from each other. All this provides additional guarantees that the situation regarding the transit of gas through Ukraine to European customers will never be repeated.
Ukraine became the last republic of the former Soviet Union, with which Gazprom switched to market-based and absolutely transparent relations in the gas sphere.
