You're reading: Ukraine plans to attract European partner to manage its gas transportation system

Ukraine plans in January 2018 to make an offer to attract a European partner to manage its gas transportation system (GTS), Head of Naftogaz Ukrainy Andriy Kobolev has said.

“I think that after the completion of the transit case in Stockholm, and this will be approximately in November, we need to make a specific offer to European partners in January. This is exactly the idea that our team [Naftogaz] offers,” he said on the air of ICTV Channel.

According to Kobolev, the proposal should be interesting for European companies, otherwise the Ukrainian GTS could repeat the fate of Odesa Port Side Chemical Plant, which has repeatedly and unsuccessfully been put on sale and is currently standing idle.

“This should not happen with Ukrtransgaz, because, in addition to security and income, 20,000 people work there. We need to keep this business in Ukraine,” the expert said.

According to Kobolev, transit and the business of gas storage in underground gas storage facilities should be separated, because European companies could be frightened away by potential risks associated with legal claims for the disputable 11 billion cubic meters of gas in storage.