Ukraine has enough deposits of shale gas to satisfy its demand for this type of fuel, Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has said.
“We have enough deposits of shale gas to satisfy Ukraine’s demand for
this kind of fuel. What we are doing now involves a lot of hard work,
which should bring about practical results in some five to seven years,”
Azarov wrote on his page on Facebook on Friday.
“Perhaps I will not be prime minister by that time. But the main goal
of any government is always to make not only short-term decisions but
also decisions that have long-term effects for the country,” he said.
As reported, Ukraine in 2012 conducted three tenders to sign
production sharing agreements (PSA) for Yuzovske (Kharkiv and Donetsk
regions), Oleske (Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk regions) and Skyfske (the
deep shelf of the Black Sea) deposits.
Chevron won the tender for the development of the Oleske deposit,
Shell for the Yuzovske deposit, and a consortium comprised of ExxonMobil
(40%), Shell (35%), Petrom, a Romanian subsidiary of Austria’s OMV
(15%) and Nadra Ukrainy (10%) for the Skyfske deposit.
As reported, a production sharing agreement between Shell and Nadra
Yuzovska on shale gas production on the Yuzovske deposit in Kharkiv and
Donetsk regions was signed with the participation of Ukrainian President
Viktor Yanukovych in Davos on January 24, 2013.
Lawmakers in Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk regional councils have not yet
authorized the PSA with Chevron for the Oleske deposit. Chevron has
started public hearings on shale gas production in these regions.
Ukraine also plans to hold PSA tenders for another four continental
and offshore oil and gas fields in 2013. In particular, it plans to
announce tenders for the Slobozhanske oil and gas field in Kharkiv
region, for the Foroske and Tavria fields in the Black Sea shelf, and
for a continental field located in Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk
regions.
