Naftogaz: Russian threat to EU over Turkish gas corridor is beyond economic sense

Indications that Gazprom plans to abruptly cease its decades-long gas relationship with the EU if it does not link up with Russia’s planned energy pipeline to Turkey are surprising, and make no economic sense, says Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolyev, echoing similar sentiments expressed by the European Commission Vice President for Energy Union, Maros Sefcovic.

Forcing the European countries to buy Russian gas at the Turkey-Greece border instead of using Ukraine’s existing infrastructure would abandon a perfectly well-functioning and reliable system in favour of investing billions of euros into a new one – a cost that would ultimately be paid by European households and businesses and would risk significant technical disruptions without offering any benefits: the same gas would be transferred, just through different channels. As such, this threat is political bluff

During this past year, Naftogaz has proven that Ukraine’s system is robust and reliable and that Ukraine is determined to deliver gas for European consumers, even in the face of Russian aggression on the country’s territory. Not a single claim against Naftogaz’ service was made by any European company receiving Russian gas via Ukraine.
Naftogaz has painstakingly complied with the Brussels agreements aimed to ensure stability of Russian gas supply to both Ukraine and the EU countries.

Ukraine’s state gas company has boosted its transparency by publishing gas balances in underground storages on the GIE transparency platform daily. It was followed, this autumn, by the publication of daily information on the ENTSOG website of gas flows into and out of Ukraine’s transmission system at all the 18 gas metering stations on Ukraine’s eastern and western border. Furthermore, Ukraine has requested the EU send its envoys to gas metering stations to monitor gas flows, a move which the EU has endorsed.
The technical capacities of Ukraine’s transit system are unparalleled and major new investments backed up by EBRD and IFC have recently been unveiled to ensure further upgrade of the system.