Page 56 - UKRRptMay21

9.0 Industry & Sectors 9.1 Sector news
9.1.1 Oil & gas sector news
President Zelenskiy said of the emerging energy relationship with Qatar during a visit in April: “Ukraine is very interested in supplying liquefied natural gas, as well as working with Qatari specialists in the development of our Black Sea shelf. We have signed a memorandum between our states, and I think we will achieve results in this direction.”
Qatar Petroleum wants to supply LNG to Ukraine and help Ukraine develop its Black Sea gas, according to a Memorandum of Understanding that was signed on April 4 in Doha by Saad bin Sherid Al-Kaabi, Energy Minister and the CEO of Qatar Petroleum, and Yuriy Vitrenko the Acting Energy Minister. Vitrenko said: “Qatar is one of the largest gas producers in the world and has valuable experience and significant financial resources to invest in gas exploration and production in Ukraine.”
Energy prices increased by inflation, with natural gas rising by 64% and electricity up 37%. Food prices increased by 10%. Leaders were food items produced in Ukraine: bread +14%; fruit +14.5%; sunflower oil +48.5%; sugar +65%; and eggs +109%.
Russian gas giant Gazprom booked 15 billion cubic meters (bcm) per day of additional transportation capacities across Ukraine for May, or the entire available amount, Hungary's trade platform RBP. Gazprom booked 14.2 bcm of capacity for March and April. This year it appears that Gazprom may transit more than the 40bcm – equivalent to 109mcm per day -- it has under the terms of the new deal. Adding the additional 15mcm booked at this week’s auction the average daily volume rises to 124mcm, according to Interfax Ukraine. In January 2021, the company transported 124.51 mcm per day on average through Ukraine, in February - 104 mcm, and in March – 119.5 mcm.
Foreign companies own almost one third of the 15.4bn cubic meters stored in Ukraine – up from zero two years ago, reported Sergii Pereloma, the Head of the UGS storage unit of Ukrtransgaz. The number of foreign customers has doubled and now includes companies based in UAE, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Key attractions for international investors are: duty free import and exports for three years, reasonable warehouse rates, and transparent procedures.
56 UKRAINE Country Report May 2021 www.intellinews.com