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Central Asia’s Gas to Become European for Ukraine
Gazprom, KazMunayGaz, Uzbekneftegaz and Turkmengaz officially declared yesterday the transfer to the European prices for the Central Asia’s gas in 2009. No price formula has been worked out yet, but it is known that Turkmenistan is willing to hike the price from $130 to $150 per a thousand cu meters in 2008 to between $250 and 270 per a thousand cu meters in 2009. The timing of this statement is interesting. Made on the eve of another round of negotiations with Ukraine, it signals Kiev will no longer find a supplier of cheap gas.
In Gazprom headquarters, the company’s chief Alexei Miller was talking over the gas prices with three counterparts from Central Asia – KazMunayGaz President Uzakbay Karabalin, Uzbekneftegaz Board Chairman Nurmukhammad Akhmedov and Turkmengaz CEO Yagshigeldy Kakaev.
So far, the gas price negotiations had been always the bilateral and secret talks. But the recent meeting was apparently quite another matter, at least the results were announced immediately and triumphantly. “With regard to the interest of national economies and taking into account the international obligations for secure and continues supplies of energy, the states of Central Asia will be selling gas at Europe’s prices starting from 2009,” Gazprom said in the press release.
The consolidated statement was made on the eve of another round of gas negotiations with Ukraine aimed at determining the supplies pattern for this year. Gazprom hosts today the delegation of Naftogaz chaired by the company’s chief Oleg Dubina. The purpose to attain is to agree on the intermediaries that will replace Rosukrenergo and Ukrgazenergo with the gas prices maintained at $179.5 per a thousand cu meters for this year. Gazprom said it would hike the price to $321 per a thousand cu meters should the intermediaries be ultimately crossed out of the supplies.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Mar. 12, 2008
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