Alexander Frolov, deputy head of the National Energy Institute, editor-in-chief of InfoTEK, said that the transition to the auction system is possible after the expiration of the Ukrainian gas transit contract in 2024. The agency reports that “Hit the primer”.
According to Frolov, a complete closure of the pipeline cannot be ruled out, but such a scenario is “Plan B” if an agreement cannot be reached. At the same time, a short-term interruption of supply will not cause serious damage, but a complete stop of transit will lead to disruption of gas supply to local people due to technical characteristics.
The analyst believes there may also be problems with the pipeline itself, as it is no longer new. The money needed to keep it running is taken from transit funds, and if these dry up the Europeans are unlikely to help.
Frolov added that Europe is at risk of losing some of its gas supply because all 15 billion cubic meters from Ukraine last year could not be supplied through Turkish Stream.
Before that the European Commission (EC) promise Find an alternative solution for countries that continue to receive Russian gas through Ukraine.
On February 15, European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson said that the European Union (EU) I am not interested Expansion of transit through Ukraine.
Previously at the Ministry of Energy stated About the importance of Europe’s initiative to expand gas transit.