Gas under the contract formula with Gazprom updated by the Stockholm arbitration will be cheaper for NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy than that bought in Europe, however, due to Gazprom’s position on gas supplies to uncontrolled territories in Donbas, there are doubts about the resumption by the Russian company of supplies to the Ukrainian company, Naftogaz Head Andriy Kobolev has said.
“The positive moment of the decision of the Stockholm arbitration on the supply contract is the price, at which Gazprom will be forced to supply us with gas, that will be lower than the one at which we are now buying gas from the European direction,” he declared.
Kobolev noted that, according to the arbitration decision, for the two remaining years of the contract (2018-2019) Naftogaz was obliged to take not less than 4 billion cubic meters per year, while Gazprom had to supply at least 5 billion cubic meters per year.
“This will mean more cheap gas for Ukrainian consumers,” he said.
At the same time, he doubted that Gazprom would be ready to meet these conditions and supply gas to Naftogaz, since the tribunal did not recognize that Naftogaz should pay for gas supplies to the temporarily occupied territories. (Interfax-Ukraine/Business World Magazine)