Ukraine is ready to resolve the privatization and rental of "pipes" for rent - but in Gazprom it is still not happy

Against the backdrop of fluctuations between participation in the EU and the Customs Union, Ukraine began preparation of amendments to the legislation allowing the privatization of the national gas company and the transfer of the gas transport system for rent, the Kommersant newspaper reports. Last Friday, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine introduced a bill to the country's parliament, allowing the privatization of NAK Naftogaz Ukraine and its subsidiaries, as well as renting a gas transmission system (GTS) and underground gas storage facilities.

The bill proposes to cancel the ban on the privatization of the "daughters" "Naftogaz", enterprises formed as a result of the reorganization of the NAC, and allow the rental of the GTS and underground gas storages.

According to the official version, the amendments were born as part of obligations to join the European energy community, which involve the separation of Naftogaz by type of activity. The source of Kommersant in the company, meanwhile, says that the introduction of the document was the result of negotiations of the head of Gazprom Alexei Miller and Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Yuri Boyko last week in Moscow.

Negotiations resumed after an almost three -month break. During this time, Ukraine managed to establish a gas reverse from Hungary, and Gazprom return to the issues of expanding the Nord Stream and Yamal -Europe gas pipelines. The last project in Europe is interpreted as another pressure tool for Kyiv.

Earlier, the Government of Ukraine stated that it does not exclude the possibility of transferring the GTS for rent as part of the creation of a consortium for its management - both bilateral (with Russia) and tripartite (with the Russian Federation and the EU).

In Kyiv, it is said that the current amendments are the assignment of Gazprom, however, the newspaper notes, the EU is also required by the same changes, the cooperation of Ukraine with which Gazprom contradicts the interests of. Therefore, although the Russian monopoly is waiting for this reform, Gazprom is in no hurry to interpret it in its favor, especially since the Ukrainian opposition promises to block a new law.

The head of the Kyiv Institute of Energy Strategi Dmitry Marunich told the newspaper that Kyiv is taking actions that arrange both Europe and Russia, which allows Ukraine to talk about progress in negotiations and on the one and the other side. On May 3, a round table between the leadership of Ukraine and the EU on the prospects of the Ukrainian GTS is planned in Brussels. Gazprom was also invited to discuss, but he refused, since "the format of the event is incomprehensible." At the same time, the introduction of the bill does not mean its adoption, the process can delay, becoming only another bargaining card in negotiations

NAC Naftogaz Ukraine believes that partial sale of the Ukrainian gas transmission system is necessary to reduce prices for Russian gas. The last visit of the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych to Moscow, during which it was planned to sign new gas procurement agreements, ended in nothing due to the requirements of Gazprom to legislatively consolidate the possibility of leasing the Ukrainian GTS, although it is now prohibited by law.

The source of the newspaper Kommersant-Ukraine in Naftogaz explained last week: “It is quite obvious that we will not be able to advance in the future without adopting the law. Therefore, if the deputies want gas prices to drop to $ 260-280 per 1 thousand cubic meters, and now the NAC is buying gas for 1,000 cubic meters, and that our GTS will have to be loaded, they will have to be loaded, they will have to be loaded accept the bill. "

The opposition, for its part, accuses President Yanukovych of surrendering the state interests of Ukraine.

“After many months of speculation regarding the GTS, the Yanukovych regime officially confirmed his desire to refuse to control the Ukrainian gas transmission system <...> having committed a treason,” the Freedom party said.

“It’s not even about the privatization of the GTS - we are talking about what they want through the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers or to transfer this GTS for themselves, or transfer it to the neighboring state without any competition, without any open procedure,” said the leader of the Fatherland faction Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

“This contradicts the existing legislation, which prohibits leasing strategic enterprises, primarily the GTS,” Vitaly Kovalchuk, deputy chairman of the Kabalchuk Party, commented for the media by the media, commented on the legislative initiative of the Cabinet of Ministers.

Russia and Ukraine have been negotiating for several years to sell or transfer the Ukrainian GTS to Gazprom and reduce gas prices for the country (now it is $ 406 per 1 thousand cubic meters). At the end of 2012, the parties again began to discuss the long -standing idea of ​​creating a consortium to manage the Ukrainian GTS. In April last year, the Ukrainian parliament approved the law on reforming the oil and gas complex, which allows the reorganization of Naftogaz of Ukraine, and prohibits the rental and privatization of the GTS. In February, the Ukrainian authorities stated that Ukraine is developing the conditions for transferring to its GTS to the possible partners in the gas transportation consortium.

NAC Naftogaz Ukraine is the largest state vertically integrated oil and gas company in Ukraine, enterprises of which produce more than 97% of gas and oil in the country. NAC is engaged in the development of fields, oil and gas production, their transportation, as well as the sale of oil products through its own gas station network. The system of main gas pipelines and 12 underground storage facilities of Ukraine is operated by the subsidiary of Naftogaz - PJSC Ukrtransgaz.

The capacity of the gas transmission system (GTS) of Ukraine at the entrance is 288 billion cubic meters. m, at the exit - 178.5 billion cubic meters. m, including in European countries - 142.5 billion cubic meters. m, Moldova - 3.5 billion cubic meters. m. In 2012, the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine amounted to 85 billion cubic meters. m. The total length of the Ukrtransgaz gas pipelines is 38.6 thousand km, including the main gas pipelines - 22.2 thousand km, gas pipelines - 16.4 thousand km.