Ukraine arrests a quarter of Russian gas transit in Europe
Gas transit from Russia through Ukraine on May 11 decreased by 24% to 72 million cubic meters. m per day, said the official representative of “Gazprom” Sergei Kupriyanov. On the eve of the application for the pumping of Russian gas is 95.8 million cubic meters. m. Data on a decrease in transit was also confirmed by the Ukrainian state-owned company GTS Operator of Ukraine (OGTSU), which accepted an application from a Russian company for pumping 72 million cubic meters. m.
Before entering Ukraine, Gazprom’s gas passes through two Russian gas measuring stations (GIS) – Sudzha in the Kursk region and Sokhranovka in the Rostov region. The last work through the Novopskov compressor station (CS). On May 10, the OGTSU announced that, due to force majeure measures, gas could not be received through the Sokhranovka and Novopskov GIS due to the loss of control over the CS. Under the force majeure of the Ukrainian company of specialists, in particular, some interference in the work of the Constitutional Court (Vedomosti wrote about this on May 10).
May 10 Kupriyanov meeting that “Gazprom» has no confirmation of force majeure and does not meet to continue work in the previous protocol. “Ukrainian specialists have been working efficiently all this time on the Sokhranovka GIS and the Novopskov CS and continue to do so,” said a Gazprom representative.
Novopskov until the beginning of March was under the control of the Ukrainian armed forces, then during the special economic operation (SVO) of Russia in Ukraine, the settlement passed to the LPR. Advisor to the head of the republic Vitaly Kiselev wrote about this in his Telegram channel on March 4. A day later, this was accepted in the Western press and by the head of the Ukrainian administration of the Lugansk region, Sergei Gaidai. According to the source of Vedomosti, close to the leadership of the LPR, with a technical port of control over this settlement in terms of the size of the peoples of the republic.
OGTSU offered Gazprom a temporary allowable volume from Sokhranovka to Sudzha. Gas from the Sudzha goes to the territory of the Sumy region controlled by Kyiv (left by the Russian Armed Forces on the occasion of the first events of the SVO). About 24 million cubic meters were pumped through Sokhranivka on May 10. m of gas, but on May 11, transit here was reset to zero, and gas went to Ukraine only through the Sudzha GIS. According to the OGTSU data, the application for pumping through Sudzha increased to 72 million cubic meters on May 11. m from 64.2 million a day earlier.
As a result, on May 11, the volume of gas consumption in Germany with Ukraine covered almost 25% compared to the day, the German Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) reported. Missing volumes are compensated by amounts from the collections and the Netherlands. The German regulator is also closely monitoring the consequences of Ukraine’s gas consumption. According to the OGTSU, gas pumping through Uzhgorod in addition to the Slovak point Velke-Kapushany on May 11 dropped to 67.4 million cubic meters. m from 83 million a day earlier.
The head of the ownership of Naftogaz Ukrainy (Gazprom’s counterparty under the transit contract) Yuriy Vitrenko said that the company can no longer develop gas transit through the territory not controlled by Kyiv, and also expects transit from the Russian gas monopoly.
Ukraine has left only one entrance for the transit of Russian gas to the EU, which is a significant reliability of gas supply, May 11 Kupriyanov conference. The press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the volume of transit, only emphasizes that Russia is committed to contractual obligations for the supply of gas and intends to fulfill them reliably in the future.
The current gas transit agreement between Russia and Ukraine expires at the end of 2024. According to its terms, in 2020.Gazprom“was supposed to pump 65 billion cubic meters. m, annually 40 billion cubic meters. m, or 109 million cubic meters. m per day. The transit tariff is $2.66 per 1,000 cubic meters. m of gas per 100 km.
Now applications from European buyers are unstable, said Alexei Grivach, Deputy General Director of the National Energy Security Fund. Therefore, it is still difficult to assess whether the OGTSU will take action on the short supply of gas to the EU, the expert leads. Given that two countries are involved in the game, the disagreement looks like a combination with the level of transit and is called into question by the current contract, says Grivach.
In the event of a disruption in the supply of gas in Europe, consumer banks consume from Gazprom not only the reimbursement of consumption, but also the consumption of penalties, said Oles Gruzdev, a lawyer at Forward Legal. According to him, these requirements can be applied in one international international body. “Gazprom”, according to the lawyer, can put forward an argument that the non-delivery of gas distribution with an effect on third parties is Ukraine. “But this argument in the dispute looks extremely doubtful only in terms of its totality, but also in terms of legal ones,” Gruzdev noted. This is confirmed by the fact that in European buyers, the entire responsibility for the short supply of gas falls on “Gazprom“.
In case of undersupply of gas to European buyers, the responsibility lies with theGazprom”, government Eva Sechina, head of the lawyer’s office. The lawyer clarified that in such a Russian monopoly situation, the OGTSU can be recorded and challenge the existence of force majeure circumstances in court. According to the lawyer, the Russian side may have a distant case, confirmation received from the LPR that the republic did not interfere with the transit of gas in any way, and this will indicate the absence of force majeure circumstances on which the Ukrainian side is located.