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European Commission hopes for Ukraine’s decency in gas transit

The European Commission hopes that Ukraine will fulfil its liabilities for the European Union as a transit country and will not take Russian gas meant for Europe
Spokesperson of EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger  EPA/HANS PUNZ
Spokesperson of EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger
© EPA/HANS PUNZ

BRUSSELS, June 17. /ITAR-TASS/. The European Commission hopes that Ukraine will fulfil its liabilities for the European Union as a transit country and will not take Russian gas meant for Europe, spokesperson of EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger Sabine Berger said on Tuesday. In her words, Russian gas is being delivered to Europe in the “routine mode”. She also noted that Ukraine might receive reverse gas from Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

Reverse gas supplies will not become a solution to the problems for Ukraine, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller told reporters on Monday.

Domestic gas consumption in Ukraine makes more than 50 billion cubic meters, gas output in the country makes less than half of this amount. Slovakia promised eight billion cubic metres of annual reverse gas supplies to Ukraine, Hungary - five billion cubic meters and Poland - 1.5 billion cubic meters. In total, this is about half of gas supplies from Russia.

Russian gas transit supplies via Ukraine are being delivered in routine mode. The daily gas amount stands at slightly more than 185 million cubic meters. An emergency headquarters started working in Russian energy giant Gazprom, monitoring the situation every day. If Gazprom finds that gas intended for Europe is left in Ukraine, Russia will increase gas supplies via Nord Stream and Yamal-Europe projects, Miller said.

The upstream throughput capacity of Ukrainian gas delivery system makes 288 billion cubic meters and the downstream one amounts to 178.5 billion cubic meters. The country’s gas transportation system consists of 72 gas compressor stations, 110 shops and 1,451 gas hubs. The length of gas pipelines makes 38,600 kilometers.