The European Commission is preparing a trilateral gas talks with Russia and Ukraine – BBC

The deputy chairman of the European Commission’s EU Energy Union Maroš Šefčovič on the eve of the heating season to visit Russia and Ukraine to discuss trilateral gas talks. First, the EC official will arrive in Kiev (2 September), and then to Moscow (September 11-12).

The talks are held in a trilateral format in 2014 (when Russia abolished the discount for Ukraine, and later transferred the Ukrainian ” Naftogaz “prepaid mode). Last year – in the third quarter – Kiev refuses to buy Russian gas, and then the question arose about the threat of transit to Europe. To solve it took to negotiate again. As a result, a transit country for October 31, has purchased 2 billion cubic meters of gas from “Gazprom”, but in November again rejected a Russian company services, preferring Reverse deliveries from Europe.

Over the day before it became known about the visits Maroš Šefčovič, predpravleniya of “Gazprom” Alexei Miller has warned of growing risks for gas transit to the EU through Ukrainian territory.

However, the words of the deputy chairman of the EC, it follows that it plans to warnings Miller are not related – the visits have been planned for a long time, the preparation for it began before the summer

According to Miller, Ukraine is lagging behind in the gas injection into underground storage (UGS) in the winter by 2.1 billion cubic meters and, given the daily schedule, it is unlikely to have time to catch up to the beginning of the autumn-winter period. “If this continues, then pumped into underground storage facilities Ukraine to the beginning of the selection period, nearly 15 billion cubic meters of gas, – said Miller. – There is a very simple arithmetic: in the last year to the beginning of the selection period, they were 17.1 billion cubic meters subtract 2.1 and obtain 15 »

Predpravleniya” Gazprom “. He recalled that the Ukrainian gas transportation system works in such a way that the gas from the Ukrainian UGS in winter is used to ensure the transit of Russian gas to Europe. And in connection with this issue of filling the storage is primarily a question of transit reliability.

«The risk we see, and most importantly, as I said, that the daily regimes that have now absolutely do not suggest that they will come to 17 billion cubic meters, and very little time is left until the autumn-winter season – it’s October “, – quotes Miller TASS

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the Ukrainian side on the same day announced that it will fulfill all its obligations on transit. In this earlier Chairman of the Board of “Naftogaz” Andrew Kobolev said that the beginning of the heating season, the company intends to upload in underground storage facilities is not even 15, and 14.5 billion cubic meters.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak has pointed out in mid-June that the Ukraine for the normal passage of the winter should be at least 18-19 billion cubic meters.

And Reverse supply from Europe, the minister estimated that will not be enough, so that Kiev will have to buy Russian gas.

According to the Association of European operators of underground gas storage facilities (GSE), on 22 August the Ukrainian underground storage facilities were filled to 38.44%, 11.899 billion cubic meters of gas was pumped into them.

«The required minimum for Ukraine in the winter – 16 billion cubic meters, – said Ukrainian expert in the field of energy, the former press secretary of” Naftogaz “Valentin Zemlyansky. – And the rate of injection well would allow to achieve these volumes, but “Naftogaz” is simply no money to purchase »

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Earlier Kobolev reported that “Naftogaz” has already spent on the purchase of gas from Europe to $ 272 million from $ 300 million loan from the European Bank for reconstruction and development (EBRD) just for this purpose. Ukrainian edition of “Apostrophe” referring to informed sources said that if the company does not get new loans, it can not pay until the end even on the existing debt. We are talking about the Oshchadbank, that “Naftogaz” owed on the bonds of USD 5.4 billion (about $ 213 million at the exchange rate of the National Bank of Ukraine). Thus the profit of “Naftogaz” in the current year, as previously said his predpravleniya, projected at 16-18 billion USD ($ 632-711 million).

«Thus, the main issue of trilateral gas talks format EU – Russia – Ukraine, most likely, will be the question whether Europe will give Ukraine new loans, “- says Zemlyansky

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