Ukrainian Oil-Gas Company, controlled by mysterious Kharkiv businessman Serhiy Kurchenko, is likely to buy 18 million cubic meters of gas in April from Hungarian gas trader Optenergy Kft.
According
to Dzerkalo Tyzhnya, Hungarian gas transmission system operator Foldgazszallito Ltd on April 1-6 will daily supply 3.02
million cubic meters of gas to LLC Ukranien Oil-Gas Compani (Ukrainian Oil-Gas Company from
Kurchenko’s group).
If the deal
is successful, later Kurchenko could not only buy reverse gas,
but also get a quota “in the pipe”, newspaper suggests.
Kurchenko
is known as an owner of the Gaz Ukraina group of companies, recently renamed the East
European Fuel and Energy Company (VETEK). At the beginning of March VETEK
bought the Odesa refinery from Russian oil producer Lukoil.
Dzerkalo
Tyzhnya recently alleged that Gaz Ukraina took part in oil smuggling, costing
the state budget Hr 3 billion or $375 million in uncollected tax revenue. Forbes Ukraine linked the group to Artem Pshonka, a parliament member and son of Prosecutor General Viktor Pshonka. The son denied the connection.
