You're reading: Ukraine imports gas at $416.6 on average in March

Ukraine imported gas at an average price of $416.60 per 1,000 cubic meters in March, down 0.7% from $419.70 per 1,000 cubic meters in February, the Economic Development and Trade Ministry has said on its Web site. 

This serves as the benchmark price for gas produced in Ukraine when the mineral extraction tax is calculated. The benchmark oil price for March is UAH 6,239.40 a tonne, or down 6.1% from Hr 6,646.60 in February.

NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy said the price of Russian gas for Ukraine under contract with Russia’s OAO Gazprom in Q1, 2013 was around $406 per 1,000 cubic meters.

Besides traditional imports from Russia, Ukrainian started to import gas by pipeline in reverse mode from Europe in November 2012 under contract with Germany’s RWE. This gas, too, is cheaper than Russian gas – the State Statistics Committee says the gas imported under contract with RWE averaged at $425 per 1,000 cubic meters in November 2012, $407.5 in December and $390 in January.

Ukraine imported 99.417 million cubic meters of gas from Germany in November-December and in January 2013.

Dmitry Firtash’s OstChem Holding Limited (Cyprus) also imports natural gas to Ukraine.

The Energy and Coal Industry Ministry reported that gas imports to Ukraine in January-February 2013 fell by 23.2%, or 1.431 billion cubic meters year-over-year, to 4.742 billion cubic meters.

Ukraine’s parliament in July 2012 passed a law under which from the beginning of 2013, the Ukrainian Economy and Trade Development Ministry should every month before the tenth day of the month publish an average customs price of imported gas for the previous period.