Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Russia Determined to Own Ukraine Natural Gas Right of Way

Russia proposes Ukraine to create a joint venture to purchase and sell natural gas in Ukraine.
Ukrainian News learned this from a draft intergovernmental agreement proposed by the Russian Energy Ministry to the Ukrainian Fuel and Energy Ministry on expansion of the cooperation in the energy sector posted on the Web site of the Dzerkalo Tyzhnia weekly.
Moreover, the draft agreement proposes to provide experts with free access to the facilities of the Ukrainian gas transportation system to monitor the gas transit via Ukraine.
The draft agreement envisages guarantees of uninterrupted transit of natural gas via the territory of Ukraine in the volumes and terms agreed by Gazprom and the Naftohaz Ukrainy national oil and gas company and guarantees of absence of the transit natural gas siphoning by Ukraine.
The draft agreement also envisages the Ukrainian side's refusal from the immunity against court trials, provisional measures of securing claims and execution of court decisions.
The document also stipulates for an opportunity to cease the effect of the previous intergovernmental agreements in the gas sector viewed by the parties to the agreement as being inexpedient.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, Ukraine and Russia are disposed to agree upon guarantees of minimum transit of natural gas through Ukraine before autumn.
On April 21, additional agreements were signed to the contracts on gas supplies and transit between the Naftohaz Ukrainy national oil and gas company and Russia's Gazprom gas monopoly.
Naftohaz Ukrainy will make payments with a discount equal to the amount of reduction in the export duty on gas supplies to Ukraine set by the Russian government.
Gazprom estimates the reduction to make USD 100 per thousand cubic meters but no more than 30% of the natural gas price and will apply to the volumes of supplies of 30 billion cubic meters in 2010 and 40 billion cubic meters in the following years

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