EU consumers do not pay for Ukrainian gas transit
The EU consumers have paid billions of euros for transportation of Russian gas via Ukraine, but country's pipeline system has not been modernized yet, CEO of oil and gas company Wintershall, Mario Mehren, said Tuesday, writes Sputnik.
Notably, Russian gas price formula does not include the cost of transit. Importers in Baumgarten, Austria, pay the same price for Russian gas delivered via Ukraine or through Nord Stream and OPAL pipelines. For Gazprom, the route to Baumgarten via Ukraine is less expensive than the one through Nord Stream and Germany.
Unlike Nord Stream, Ukrainian transit pipelines can provide both seasonal and short-term flexibility of supplies. Gazprom report says, there are no complaints about gas transit services of Naftogaz of Ukraine.
Gas flows from Jan-1-2015 to Dec-12-2016