A first stage of gas business division in Ukraine, including accounting and legal division of fields of activities, has been passed, Deputy Fuel and Energy Minister Serhiy Pavlusha said in an interview with the Dzerkalo Tyzhnia (Mirror Weekly) newspaper, commenting the reformation of National JSC Naftogaz Ukrainy in line with liabilities to the European Union.
He said that officially, the requirement of the European Commission
to divide business has been carried out: Ukrgazvydobuvannia,
Chornomornaftogaz and OJSC Ukrnafta extract gas, Ukrtransgaz transports
gas, and Naftogaz Merezhi distributes it through regional pipelines.
“There is National JSC Naftogaz Ukrainy, with which contracts on
purchase of gas and its transit have been signed. If it were a total
division of the company, we’d have to decide on the said long-term
contracts, at least, on transit ones. In addition, Naftogaz has credit
liabilities. However, all the problems could be settled. All western
companies passed through this,” he said.
“There are legal instruments for this, including those created
during reformation of leading companies in Germany, France and other
states. The other thing is that western companies don’t have such
social burden as Naftogaz Ukrainy. Actually, the company should operate
as commercial company on the market,” he said.
