Ukraine could bring in more international majors to explore its hydrocarbon fields on production-sharing terms and become a net gas exporter by 2025, Energy and Coal Minister Eduard Stavytsky said.
“We plan by the end of this year to sign at least four more PSA’s
(production-sharing agreements] on top of the existing two. As a result,
investors will be able to start exporting gas to Europe in four or five
years and Ukraine could become a net gas exporter by the middle of the
next decade,” Stavytsky said at the annual energy forum in Lech,
Austria, on April 12.
Stavytsky said Ukraine would grant investors free access to pipelines
and gas storage facilities, as per its national legislation and status
as a member of the Energy Community.
“We also expect our EU neighbors to honor their commitments. Above
all this concerns unimpeded reverse gas supplies to Ukraine via the
territory of EU states,” the minister said.
He also said Ukraine was interested in the gradual formation of a gas
hub in the country, which would be an integral part of an East European
gas hub. Ukraine’s advantage is its system of gas storage facilities,
which can store over 30 billion cubic meters of gas at any one time but
could have their capacity increased to 50 billion-55 billion cubic
meters.
“We expect that the successful gas hub models in Britain and the
Netherlands will be implemented gradually in other EU countries. We are
interested in such a European gas market in order to diversify gas
supplies to Ukraine as a source of revenue for gas transit services to
Europe, and for gas storage under both long-term contracts and in spot
trading; and as a stable and sizeable market for future exports of our
own gas,” Stavytsky said.
