No Reason to Revise Gas Deal With Ukraine in April (Alexander Novak, Russian EM)

Russia sees no reason to reach a new agreement on gas deliveries to Ukraine after the so-called 'winter package' deal expires at the end of March, as all the terms are already outlined in the existing contract between Gazprom and Naftogaz, Energy Minister Alexander Novak said Wednesday.

"We are talking about current deliveries schedule and the financing regime, in other words — about conditions that have been, in one way or another, stipulated in the existing contract [betwen Rusia's Gazprom and Ukraine's Naftogaz]," Novak said following talks Maros Sefcovic, the Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of the Energy Union.

"So far, we see no reason to sign a new document," Novak said.
[sputniknews.com]
14/1/15
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Related:

• Gazprom concerned over Ukraine’s possible siphoning off of Russian gas

• Vicepresidente de la Comisión Europea no prevé cortes de tránsito de gas ruso a Europa ...

• Gas contracts with EU provide for no gas re-export options (Alexander Novak, Russian EM) 

• Question of gas supplies from Russia to be settled soon (Ukrainian energy minister)

• Kiev Agrees With IMF to Pay for Russian Gas During Winter Period From Own Exchange Reserve

Gazprom concerned over Ukraine’s possible siphoning off of Russian gas

The possibility of siphoning off of Russian natural gas by Ukraine has increased with the onset of cold weather, CEO of Russia’s natural gas giant Gazprom Aleksei Miller was quoted by Rossiya 1 TV channel as saying on Monday. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has received the Gazprom head.

The Russian premier said that Moscow wants to deal with Ukraine as a reliable partner.

“But what you say makes one think of the developments and the way gas consumption takes place in Ukraine,” Medvedev said. According to him, prompt decisions must be made depending on the situation with gas consumption volume, if necessary, and in accordance with the made decision on the price discount Russia offered to Ukraine for the coming period - until March 31, 2015.
[itar-tass.com]
5/1/15
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Related:

• L'amministratore delegato di Gazprom Alexey Miller ha dichiarato che con l'inizio della stagione fredda aumenta il rischio di prelievi di gas russo non autorizzati da parte dell'Ucraina...

• Ukraine’s Naftogaz transfers $1.65 bln to Russia’s Gazprom under Brussels agreements

Ukraine’s Naftogaz transfers $1.65 bln to Russia’s Gazprom under Brussels agreements

Ukraine’s Naftogaz has transferred 1.65 billion U.S. dollars to Russia’s Gazprom as repayment its gas debts, Naftogaz said on Wednesday.

Thus, in line with the agreements reached in Brussels, Naftogaz has paid 3.1 billion U.S. dollars in two tranches to pay for 11.5 billion cubic metres of gas supplied by Gazprom in November-December 2013 and April-June 2014. The first tranche of 1.45 billion U.S. dollars was transferred on November 4.

In October, Gazprom and Naftogaz reached an agreement to resume Russian gas supplies to Ukraine on condition Naftogaz repays its 3.1 billion U.S. dollar debt. In early December, Naftogaz made an advance payment for gas supplies in December.
[itar-tass.com]
24/12/14
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Related:

• Russia to Halt Gas Sales to Ukraine if Kiev Fails to Repay $1.65Bln

• Question of gas supplies from Russia to be settled soon (Ukrainian energy minister)

• EU to Continue Financial Aid Provision for Ukraine's Gas Debt Repayment (Official)

• Kiev Agrees With IMF to Pay for Russian Gas During Winter Period From Own Exchange Reserve

Russia to Halt Gas Sales to Ukraine if Kiev Fails to Repay $1.65Bln

Russia will stop gas sales to Ukraine if Kiev fails to repay $1.65 billion of its gas debt to Russia, Energy Minister Alexander Novak said Tuesday.

"Under the agreement, there will be no supplies in January if the debt of $1.65 billion remains unsettled," the minister said.

Novak said the price of Russian gas for Ukraine is estimated to range between $340 and $360 per 1,000 cubic meters in the first quarter of 2015.

"Our [previous] discussions in the month of October were based on price forecast of $360. At the moment, the price may be lower… I think, [it will be at] $340-$360," he said.

The Minister said that after the discount of $100 per 1,000 cubic meters, granted by Russia's Gazprom to Ukraine's Naftogaz, expires on April 1, the price of Russian gas to Ukraine will amount to about $440. According to Novak, Moscow is ready to consider a request for a new discount, but so far Ukrainian authorities have not asked for it.

After a six-month break, Russia resumed gas sales to Ukraine on December 9. A temporary agreement between Moscow and Kiev, in force during the cold season, stipulates that Ukraine should repay $3.1 billion of its $5.3-billion gas debt.

Ukraine's state-run oil and gas company Naftogaz repaid $1.45 billion of its gas debt to Gazprom in early December and allocated $378 million as prepayment for future supplies of 1 billion cubic meters of gas.

On Monday Ukrainian Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchishin told journalists that Ukraine so far has purchased some 300 million cubic meters of Russian gas under the so-called "winter package."

On the same day in an interview on Rossiya-24 television Novak expressed hope that Russia and Ukraine will continue their cooperation in gas deliveries even after the ten-year contract on gas transit and supply between Gazprom and Naftogaz expires in 2019.
 [sputniknews.com]
23/12/14
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• Si Ucrania no paga la deuda de gas de diciembre, Rusia cesará los suministros ... 

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• Question of gas supplies from Russia to be settled soon (Ukrainian energy minister)

• EU to Continue Financial Aid Provision for Ukraine's Gas Debt Repayment (Official)

• Kiev Agrees With IMF to Pay for Russian Gas During Winter Period From Own Exchange Reserve

Russia’s new gas pipeline to Turkey may be named Turkish Stream

Russia’s new natural gas pipeline, which energy giant Gazprom will built in place of the South Stream pipeline, might be called the Turkish Stream, Gazprom deputy CEO Alexander Medvedev said on Monday.

“The South Stream pipeline will not be constructed and we will be implementing another project, which will get its name in the nearest future,” Medvedev said. “Our partners in Turkey proposed the name of the Turkish Stream.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on December 1 that Russia was abandoning its South Stream gas pipeline project in Europe over the European Commission’s unconstructive approach and instead was planning to build a gas pipeline to Turkey.

Gazprom will build a gas hub on the Turkey-Greece border under a new 63 billion cubic meter pipeline project. Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller said the construction of a gas pipeline to Turkey will make it possible to reduce the risks linked with natural gas transit through Ukraine. Russia’s steel pipe manufacturers hope that all their products originally meant for the South Stream project will be redirected to the new gas pipeline project.......................http://itar-tass.com/en/world/768439
  22/12/14
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Related:

• Bulgaria to send delegation to Moscow to discuss South Stream (reports)

• Gas pipeline to Crimea to be connected to projected gas pipeline to Turkey

• South Stream pipeline can be built (European Commission)

• Türkei geht auf Distanz zu Gas-Deal mit Russland...

Bulgaria to send delegation to Moscow to discuss South Stream (reports)

Bulgaria’s Cabinet plans to send a government delegation to Moscow on December 19 to discuss the prospect of reviving the South Stream gas pipeline project, Russian and Bulgarian media quoted Economy Minister Bozhidar Loukarski as saying in Belgrade on December 16, following meetings with Serbian officials.
“Bulgaria never intended to give up on the South Stream project and would like to hear the official position of the Russian Energy minister on it,” he is quoted as saying. He also said that the pipeline could be brought in line with the EU regulations, although it remains unclear to what extent Russia is willing to do so, given that EU rules were one of the main obstacles cited by Russian president Vladimir Putin when he announced the project’s cancellation in Ankara on December 1.

It is unclear, also, whether Russia has agreed on holding such a meeting, with Russian news agency Itar-Tass reporting on December 17, citing unnamed sources familiar with the situation, that Russian energy minister Alexander Novak was still deliberating on the issue of a meeting..........http://sofiaglobe.com/2014/12/17/bulgaria-to-send-delegation-to-moscow-to-discuss-south-stream-reports/
17/12/14
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Related:

• Bulgaria ready to place gas hub for European consumers

• South Stream pipeline can be built (European Commission)

• Gazprom gründet Firma für Bau neuer Gaspipeline in Türkei ...

•  La Bulgarie a trouvé comment remplacer South Stream ...
•  -----
• Related:
•  Türkei geht auf Distanz zu Gas-Deal mit Russland...

Bulgaria ready to place gas hub for European consumers

Bulgaria is ready to place on its territory a gas distribution European-scale station, instead of the South Stream project, according to a verbatim account of a meeting of the Bulgarian government on Wednesday.

“We can build a gas storage facility in Varna, where /South Stream/ pipes were to come out of the Black Sea. The European Commission, under the plan /of its President Jean-Claude/ Juncker, may finance the construction of a liquefied gas storage facility. It will be filled there and pumped from there to Europe,” Prime Minister Boiko Borisov said. “The European Commission will sponsor this hub. We make a distribution centre of the Energy Union in Varna, and we are number one in terms of diversification. It is not in the interests of Turkey or Greece, or any other country. It is in our interests and in the interests of the European Union, and we must solve this problem. We offer the European Commission and the entire Europe a perfect option of placing a gas hub in Bulgaria, not in Turkey.”

Borisov instructed the ministers to notify all parties concerned about this initiative.

On December 1, after the talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia was ready not only extend the Blue Stream pipeline but also to build another pipeline system to satisfy Turkey’s growing demand and to build a gas hub at the border between Turkey and Greece to pump gas to Southern Europe.

On the same day, the Russian leader said that in current conditions Russia would not implement the South Stream project. Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said the project was no longer topical. “The project is closed, and that’s it,” he told journalists, commenting on the results of the top-level Russia-Turkey talks.

The South Stream project estimated at 15.5 billion euro was meant to supply 67 billion cubic metres of gas a year. Now, the capacity of the Blue Stream gas pipeline that runs across the bottom of the Black Sea to Turkey is 16 billion cubic metres of gas a year. Turkey has repeatedly offered Russia to use its territory as a starting point for gas supplies to Europe.
  http://itar-tass.com/en/economy/766323
11/12/14
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Related:

• South Stream pipeline can be built (European Commission)

• Gazprom gründet Firma für Bau neuer Gaspipeline in Türkei ...

•  La Bulgarie a trouvé comment remplacer South Stream ...
•  -----
• Related:
•  Türkei geht auf Distanz zu Gas-Deal mit Russland...

Gas pipeline to Crimea to be connected to projected gas pipeline to Turkey

The gas pipeline connecting the Republic of Crimea with the Krasnodar Territory of Russia will be laid under the Kerch Strait in 2018, Minister of Fuel and Energy of Crimea Sergei Yegorov said at a meeting of the republic’s Council of Ministers on Tuesday.

“The gas pipeline will be laid under the Kerch Strait and will go onshore in Kerch,” Yegorov said. “This is a serious gas pipeline that will be connected in the Krasnodar Territory to the projected gas pipeline that will now run to Turkey, the former South Stream.”

Russia’s Gazprom natural gas giant signed a memorandum of understanding with Turkey’s Botas on December 1 on constructing an offshore gas pipeline across the Black Sea towards Turkey. The memorandum was signed in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan. The new gas pipeline will have a capacity of 63 billion cubic metres, with 14 billion cubic metres slated for Turkish consumers (identical amount is being delivered via the Balkan Corridor) and nearly 50 billion cubic meters conveyed to the border between Turkey and Greece, where a delivery point will be arranged. The Russkaya compressor station being under construction in the Krasnodar region will serve as the pipeline starting point.

The total length of the Krasnodar Territory - Crimea pipeline will reach 135 kilometers and the pipe diameter - 700 mm.

According to the minister, the pipeline will first of all supply the city of Kerch with natural gas. “The federal target program (for the development of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol) and regional program envisage gas distribution network development in Kerch. The city’s gas supply infrastructure is only 71% developed today. Crimean cities’ gas infrastructure development is 89% on the average,” Yegorov said.
 http://itar-tass.com/en/economy/766011
9/12/14
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Related:

• South Stream pipeline can be built (European Commission)

• Gazprom gründet Firma für Bau neuer Gaspipeline in Türkei ...

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• Κριμαία: Η φτηνότερη εναλλακτική διαδρομή για τον «South Stream»

• Gazprom Seeks Access to Crimean Oil and Gas Deposits

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• Kerch bridge will be designed for cars and trains. Underwater tunnel is optional. - ministry

 

South Stream pipeline can be built (European Commission)

The South Stream project can be implemented, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Thursday.
South Stream can be built, Juncker said after a meeting with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.

Borisov shared the EC president’s view. “We are in favour of South Stream. We want South Stream to be built in compliance with the EU legislation,” he said.
Borisov said the energy ministers of the countries participating in the South Stream gas project would meet in Brussels on December 9.
“The preparations were not stopped. It was scheduled that the South Stream energy ministers would meet on December 9. This meeting will be held and I hope that it will settle problems, including on the Third Energy Package,” Borisov said.

•  Meanwhile, Energy Minister Alexander Novak said Russia’s decision to stop the South Stream gas project is final.

The pipeline will run to Turkey in compliance with the agreements reached by the presidents of both countries, he said.....................http://itar-tass.com/en/economy/765180
4/12/14
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Related:

• Russia-Turkey relations in energy sector rise to strategic level. Russia will reduce by 6% gas price for Turkish consumers from January 1, 2015

• Das Gasprojekt South Stream zur Versorgung Südeuropas ist nach Worten von Gazprom-Chef Alexej Miller endgültig auf Eis gelegt....

Question of gas supplies from Russia to be settled soon (Ukrainian energy minister)

The question of natural gas supplies from Russia will be resolved in the near future, Energy and Coal Industry Minister Yury Prodan has told the media.

“I believe that this year there will be gas supplies from Russia. A rather serious drop in air temperatures is due, so more than 100 million cubic meters will be taken out of the underground storages. I believe that the question of supplies will be resolved in the near future,” Prodan said.

Asked about the date when supplies might begin he speculated that supplies of gas from Russia would be quite possible in December.

As it was stated earlier, Ukraine plans to import up to 1.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas by the end of this year.
[en.itar-tass.com]
26/11/14
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Related:

• EU to Continue Financial Aid Provision for Ukraine's Gas Debt Repayment (Official)

• Kiev Agrees With IMF to Pay for Russian Gas During Winter Period From Own Exchange Reserve

• Russia Ukraine and EU agree gas supply deal (Günther H. Oettinger /EC)

Turkey’s energy minister to negotiate gas discount with Russia ahead of Putin’s Ankara visit

Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız is expected to meet Gazprom Deputy Chairman Alexander Medvedev to discuss a potential revision of gas prices from Russia to Turkey Nov. 25, ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the country on Dec. 1.

In addition to a potential revision on the price of gas, the two sides are also expected to discuss the rise in capacity of the Blue Stream, a major trans-Black Sea gas pipeline that carries natural gas from Russia into Turkey, according to a source familiar with the situation.

“This is a process. It does not seem possible for us to decrease gas prices. Negotiations over discounts on prices are always tough. We want to have what we deserve,” said a high level official from the Turkish Energy Ministry.

Any possible revision of gas prices will come into effect on Jan. 1.

“A revision may be secured, though it will be hard. Any possible revision will be announced during Putin’s Turkish visit on Dec. 1,” said another source.

Yıldız asked for a discount on the price of gas Turkey buys from Russia during talks with Medvedev at the beginning of October.

Medvedev said they were working on a detailed price package in line with Turkey’s demand for a discount on the price of natural gas. 
hurriyetdailynews.com -Reuters
25/11/14 
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Related:

• Turkey interested in Russia's new gas pipeline project (South Stream)

• Russia keen on gas investment in Turkey

• EU should rethink South Stream, consider Turkey. -"Turkey on the way to becoming an energy hub"

Putin, Xi Jinping sign mega gas deal on second gas supply route

President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have signed a memorandum of understanding on the so-called “western” gas supplies route to China. The agreement paves the way for a contract that would make China the biggest consumer of Russian gas.
Russia’s so-called “western” or "Altay" route would supply 30 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas a year to China.
The new supply line comes in addition to the “eastern” route, through the “Power of Siberia” pipeline, which will annually deliver 38 bcm of gas to China. Work on that pipeline route has already begun after a $400 billion deal was clinched in May. 


“After we have launched supplies via the “western route,” the volume of gas deliveries to China can exceed the current volumes of export to Europe,” Gazprom CEO Aleksey Miller told reporters, commenting on the deal. 

Speaking to journalists on the eve of his visit to Beijing, Putin was optimistic about prospects for the new gas deal with China.
“We have reached an understanding in principle concerning the opening of the western route,” Putin said. “We have already agreed on many technical and commercial aspects of this project, laying a good basis for reaching final arrangements.”
The “western” route deal is one of the 17 agreements signed at the Sunday meeting between Putin and Xi.
They also included a framework agreement between Gazprom and China’s CNPC on gas deliveries and a memorandum of understanding between Gazprom and another Chinese energy giant, CNOOC.
Gazprom and CNPC have also signed a preliminary agreement for China National Oil and Gas Exploration and Development to take a 10 percent stake in Russia's Vancorneft.
Among the business issues discussed by Putin and Xi at their fifth meeting this year was the possibility of payment in Chinese yuan, including for defense deals military, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov was cited as saying by RIA Novosti........http://rt.com/business/203679-china-russia-gas-deal/
9/11/14
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• China, Russia start construction of gas pipeline (the Sila Sibiri pipeline)

• Gazprom to receive $25 billion prepayment for gas supplies to China

• Putin praises Gazprom, CNPC deal on Russian gas for China

EU to Continue Financial Aid Provision for Ukraine's Gas Debt Repayment (Official)

The European Union intends to continue the provision of financial assistance to Ukraine to help the country repay its debt for Russian gas, EU Ambassador to Russia Vigaudas Ushatskas stated Wednesday.

"Our aid reaches billion euros, including what we have already given and will give [to Ukraine]. We have been helping to reach a treaty between Russia and Ukraine on the whole range of complex gas issues. And we will allocate the amounts that will be needed to pay off [debts for] gas," Ushatskas told Ekho Moskvy radio.
According to him, the European Union and Russia share common interests in stabilizing the situation in Ukraine.

"Neither Russia, nor the European Commission, nor the IMF should be some kind of 'auntie' that would care for Ukraine all the time... Of course, this requires internal political, economic and social reforms for Ukraine not to be proclaimed as the most corrupt political system. On this basis the European Union highlights the unprecedented volumes of aid to Ukraine," Ushatskas added.

Ukraine's state oil and gas company Naftogaz said Tuesday that it had transferred the first tranche of $1.45 billion of its gas debt to Russia.

The final round of gas talks on October 30 between Russia and Ukraine, brokered by the European Union, ended with the signing of the so-called winter package agreement securing gas supplies to Ukraine until March.

Under the agreement, Russia will resume its delivery of gas to Ukraine at a price of $378 per 1,000 cubic meters till the end of 2014 and $365 for the same amount in the first quarter of 2015, while Kiev must pay Gazprom $3.1 billion of its debt to the company before the end of the year.

Gazprom switched Ukraine to a prepayment system for gas deliveries over its debt of more than $5 billion in June.(RIA Novosti)
5/11/14
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Related:

• Gazprom confirms Ukraine’s first $1.45bn gas tranche received...

• Gaz: Kiev a payé au russe Gazprom 1,45 milliard de dollars de sa dette ...

• Kiev Agrees With IMF to Pay for Russian Gas During Winter Period From Own Exchange Reserve

Kiev Agrees With IMF to Pay for Russian Gas During Winter Period From Own Exchange Reserve

Kiev has agreed with International Monetary Fund (IMF) that it will pay for Russian gas during the winter period from Ukraine's exchange reserves, the country's national bank said.

"We managed to agree with IMF that the payments for the gas can be made from our own exchange reserves and IMF will support us. That is why we are confident we can support all the payments to Gazprom on the recent gas agreement," the Head of Ukraine's National Bank Valeriia Gontareva said at the press briefing.
Earlier on Monday, Ukraine's Energy Minister Yuriy Prodan told RIA Novosti that Kiev has not yet paid for Russian gas, but aims to do so in the near future...................http://en.ria.ru/business/20141103/195047378/Kiev-Agrees-With-IMF-to-Pay-for-Russian-Gas-During-Winter-Period.html3/11/14
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Related:

• Russia Ukraine and EU agree gas supply deal (Günther H. Oettinger /EC)

• Settlement of remaining Ukraine debt to be discussed after Stockholm arbitration decision ...

Russia Ukraine and EU agree gas supply deal (Günther H. Oettinger /EC)

From the Official Website of the European Commission, Press release, Brussels, 30 October 2014:

"After seven rounds of gas negotiations, last night's talks moderated by Günther H. Oettinger, Vice-President of the European Commission, yielded finally a breakthrough: A 4,6 billion dollar winter package, agreed by Russia and Ukraine, secures gas for Ukraine - and ultimately also for Europe.

José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission who witnessed today's signing of the winter package, said: "I am delighted that I can announce a major success at the end of my mandate as President of the European Commission. With our strong support, Ukraine and Russia have today found agreement on their outstanding energy debt issues, and on an interim solution that enables supplies to continue this winter. I am glad that political responsibility, the logic of cooperation and simple economic sense have prevailed."

Günther H. Oettinger, Vice-President of the European Commission, said: "This breakthrough will not only make sure that Ukraine will have sufficient heating in the dead of the winter. It is also a contribution to the de-escalation between Russia and Ukraine."

The winter package consists of two documents: 

1. A binding protocol, signed by the European Commission (Vice-President Oettinger), the Russian Federation (Energy Minister Alexander Novak) and Ukraine (Energy Minister Yuri Prodan);
2. An addendum to the existing gas supply contract, signed by Gazprom of Russia (CEO Alexey Miller) and Naftogaz of Ukraine (CEO Andriy Kobolyev);

The package covers the period from now until the end of March 2015 and includes the following main points:

1.  Debts: Ukraine would settle its debts based on a preliminary price of $268,5/ 1000m3 by making payments in two tranches: 1,45 billion dollar without delay, and 1,65 billion dollar by the end of the year 2014. This adds in total up to 3,1 billon dollar of debt payment. The final price and thus the final sum of debt will be determined through the pending arbitration by the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce between Gazprom and Naftogaz.
2. New gas: Russia will deliver gas following advanced, monthly payments by Ukraine. The price is below $385/ 1000m3 and calculated according to a formula in the present contract and a price reduction through a discount in export duties by the Russian Federation. Ukraine is free to order as much gas as it needs and is not subject to take-or-pay obligations foreseen in the current contract. Ukraine foresees to purchase 4 bcm until the end of the year 2014, meaning 1,5 billion dollar.

In the last weeks, the European Commission has been working intensively with the International Financial Institutions (IFI) and Ukraine to help Ukraine prepay for deliveries of gas in the coming winter. Unprecedented levels of EU aid will be disbursed in a timely manner, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reassured Ukraine that it can use all financial means at its disposal to pay for gas. Further work with the IFIs on financial assistance to Ukraine, also in relation to gas supplies, will still continue, but all three sides are reassured that Ukraine will have the necessary financial means."

   http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-1238_en.htm?locale=en

   30/10/14 

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Related:

• Russia and Ukraine agree gas supply deal ...

• Gazprom CEO: No gas agreement to be signed until Ukraine, EU agree on financial guarantees

• Ukraine, US Discuss Liquefied Gas Deliveries: Kiev

Gazprom CEO: No gas agreement to be signed until Ukraine, EU agree on financial guarantees

No gas agreements will be signed until “Ukraine and the European Union reach an agreement on financial guarantees,” Alexei Miller, the CEO of Russia’s gas giant Gazprom, said after the first round of tripartite gas talks.
 
He said three documents had been prepared for signing at the tripartite gas talks between Russia, Ukraine and the European Union. According to Miller, these documents are two protocols: a protocol in a trilateral format between Russia, Ukraine and the European Commission and a bilateral protocol between the European Commission and Ukraine.

“Everything concerning financial issues, concerning guarantees the European Commission is to issue to Ukraine, these liabilities will be committed to paper in a bilateral protocol,” he said. “As for out trilateral protocol, all principal provisions of this trilateral document have been agreed. A technical supplement to the contract between Gazprom and Naftogaz has also been agreed.”

“Today, the talks ended with the sides taking a break till tomorrow. But the meeting, the talks will take place only in case the Ukrainian side and the European Commission reach an agreement on that bilateral protocol,” Miller said. “If there is no such agreement, naturally, there will be no meetings, no talks tomorrow and no documents will be signed. If Ukraine and the European Commission ultimately reach an agreement, hence, these three document might be signed tomorrow - two protocols and a supplement to the contract between Gazprom and Naftogaz. Everything that concerns our documents where Russia is the side, where Gazprom is the side, all these issues have by now been agreed........................http://en.itar-tass.com/economy/757272
30/10/14
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Related:

• Ukraine, Russia tackle gas crisis as tensions spike 

• Ukraine, US Discuss Liquefied Gas Deliveries: Kiev

• EU energy commissioner, Ukraine energy minister discuss forthcoming tripartite gas talks

• Russia submits draft gas agreement to EU, Ukraine

Ukraine, Russia tackle gas crisis as tensions spike

Ukraine and Russia were set Wednesday to resume crunch EU-mediated gas talks aimed at ending a months-long supply cut that threatens to hit swathes of Europe this winter.

The latest negotiations in ­Brussels come a day after Russia stirred ­tensions with its war-torn neighbor further by announcing plans to recognize the disputed leadership polls pro-Kremlin insurgents in eastern Ukraine intend to stage on Sunday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's comments drew a sharp rebuke from US Secretary of State John Kerry and coincided with a decision by EU leaders to keep sanctions in place against Moscow for its alleged meddling in Ukraine.

The former Soviet nation staged its own general election on Sunday that saw pro-European forces score a decisive victory at the expense of parties that once backed closer ties with Russia but now prefer to tread a more centrist course....................AFP......................http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/889055.shtml
29/10/14
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Related:

• Ukraine, US Discuss Liquefied Gas Deliveries: Kiev

• EU energy commissioner, Ukraine energy minister discuss forthcoming tripartite gas talks

• Russia submits draft gas agreement to EU, Ukraine

• Gas talks: Negotiations to be continued next week

Ukraine, US Discuss Liquefied Gas Deliveries: Kiev

Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Pavlo Klimkin and US Senator for Oklahoma Jim Inhofe met for talks in Kiev and discussed deliveries of liquefied natural gas from the United States to Ukraine, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

“Special attention during the talks was paid to the strengthening of energy security in Ukraine, particularly through the supply of liquefied natural gas from the United States,” a statement published on the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s official website said.

Ukraine currently receives gas only through reverse flows from Europe. In June, Russian energy giant Gazprom switched Ukraine to a prepayment system due to its gas debt of over $5 billion. Russia and Ukraine are expected to sign a temporary gas delivery agreement for the winter period during trilateral Russia-Ukraine-EU talks in Brussels on October 29.
 (RIA Novosti)
28/10/14
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Related:

• EU energy commissioner, Ukraine energy minister discuss forthcoming tripartite gas talks

• Russia submits draft gas agreement to EU, Ukraine

• Gas talks: Negotiations to be continued next week

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• Πρόταση Μέρκελ για ευρω-δάνειο στο Κίεβο, προκειμένου να καλυφθεί το χρέος για το ρωσικό φυσικό αέριο

EU energy commissioner, Ukraine energy minister discuss forthcoming tripartite gas talks

European energy commissioner Guenther Oettinger and Ukraine’s Minister of Energy and Coal Industry Yuri Prodan had a telephone conversation on Monday to discuss aspects of the forthcoming tripartite gas talks due in Brussels on October 29, a spokesman for the European Commission told TASS.

According to TASS information, the sides discussed issues of financial guarantees to Ukraine to pay for Russian gas supplies in November-December 2014.
The spokesman however refused to elaborate whether any agreement on that matter had been reached, saying only that preparatory work for the tripartite talls was underway.

 After the previous tripartite gas talks in Brussels on October 21, Oettinger admitted that Ukraine needed from one to two billion U.S. dollars to be able to pay for Russian gas. 

Kiev has already asked Brussels to issue short-term loans worth two billion euro but the European Commission has not yet confirmed whether that sum would be offered or not, noting that this issue would be subject of consultations in cooperation with the International Monetary Fund 
[itar-tass.com]
28/10/14
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Related:

• Russia submits draft gas agreement to EU, Ukraine

• Gas talks: Negotiations to be continued next week

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• Πρόταση Μέρκελ για ευρω-δάνειο στο Κίεβο, προκειμένου να καλυφθεί το χρέος για το ρωσικό φυσικό αέριο

Lithuania Hopes for Energy Independence, Security With New LNG Terminal

Lithuania's liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal "Independence" is a geopolitical project that will lead to energy independence and security of the whole Baltic region, Lithuania's president said at the official ceremony of welcoming the off-shore liquefied natural gas vessel Independence in the port of Klaipeda.

"Klaipeda's LNG terminal will cover almost 90 percent of gas needs of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia," Dalia Grybauskaite, Lithuania's president, said at the ceremony.

"Lithuania has managed to build the terminal alone. It took just three and a half years to implement the project. We have become a secure state in what concerns energy. It [the terminal] will become a guarantor of energy security for the whole Baltic region. We will always be able to help our neighbors in case they need it," the president said, adding that Lithuania will no longer be dependent on the "imposed gas prices".

Independence storage-vessel for the LNG terminal has the capacity of 170,000 cubic meters (approximately 6 billion cubic feet), and is leased by the state-owned energy terminal operator Klaipedos Nafta AB from Norway's Hoegh LNG Holdings liquefied natural gas services provider for the period of 10 years. Lithuania also has a contract with Norway's oil and gas company Statoil ASA to supply the terminal with LNG for five years at the prices comparable to Russian energy giant Gazprom's export to the country after this year's price reduction, according to Lithuania's Energy Minister Rokas Masiulis.

The first delivery of LNG is scheduled for Tuesday.
(RIA Novosti)
27/10/14
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