Eustream: No Pressure Reduction or Volume Decrease from Ukraine on Wednesday

Slovakia’s Eustream did not register any pressure reduction or gas volumes decrease at the Compressor Station Veľké Kapušany on the border with Ukraine. Despite Gazprom’s decision to switch to prepayment from Monday, Russian gas has been transiting Ukraine without problems, reaching European markets as usual.  

‘According to the state at 09:00 (CET), 18. June 2014 related to transmission from East to the European Union, Eustream didn’t record pressure reduction or gas volumes decrease,’ reads a note released on Wednesday. 

At the same time, Ukraine is stepping up efforts to protect its gas transportation system, thinking that it might be in Russian interest to sabotage pipelines to Europe. 

“We forecast several weeks ago that certain sabotage cases would be planned and aimed at undermining the reputation of Ukraine as a reliable transit country and legitimizing the construction of the South Stream pipeline,” Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Prime Minister of Ukraine, said on Tuesday, referring to the explosion occurred on Tuesday on a section of the GTS in Poltava region. 

Ukraine is trying to maintain its role as a central transit country, asking for a closer cooperation to European countries. Kiev also proposed to swing gas on Ukraine-Russia border instead of Ukraine-Slovakia border.

“Ukraine declares it is a reliable transit country. We have fulfilled our liabilities and will further stick to our commitments in terms of natural gas transportation,” Yatsenyuk argued, adding that the aim of the South Stream project is not to diversify gas supplies to Europe. He said that it is a project meant to “eliminate Ukraine as the country which is one of the key suppliers to the European Union.” 

In the meantime, Ukrtransgaz is moving closer to the implementation of reverse-flow supply, as inked in the Memorandum of Understanding signed with Eustream on April 28.