KYIV, Sept 25 – The Russian Itera gas concern will deliver 7.5 billion cubic meters of gas to Ukraine to the end of the year, Fuel and Energy Minister Serhy Yermilov said on Saturday, Ukrainian Financial Server reported.
Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko met with Deputy President of Itera Valery Ochertsov on Thursday, September 21 at which meeting the report says that “mechanisms for renewing cooperation” were found.
According to Yermilov, gas deliveries will be renewed in the nearest future, and the only question left is “whether Ukraine will pay for the gas or not.”
Yermilov also said that Naftogaz Ukrainy addressed Russia’s Gazprom with a request for a 2001 gas delivery contract.
According to Yermilov, Gazprom will consider the request at the beginning of October and will send the draft contract to Ukraine by the end of October, the UFS report said.
Yermilov is also optimistic that Turkmen gas deliveries to Ukraine will be renewed soon, UNIAN reported.
Yermilov said that his Naftogaz head Vadym Kopylov, who went to Turkmenistan on a working visit last week, managed to clear many issues that had previously prevented Ukraine from negotiating Turkmen gas supplies. The minister said that Ukraine is now fulfilling its debt repayment schedule in full, both in cash and in kind, for gas supplied by Turkmenistan.
Earlier, Ukraine’s government forecast that Ukraine would require 24.7 billion cubic meters of natural gas during the fourth quarter of this year. An estimated gas shortage of 18 billion cubic meters has been expected for the same period.
