Moscow is on the verge to give Kyiv a discount for purchasing gas in the I quarter of 2016, as it is said in the resolution of RF government, signed by the Prime Minister Dmitrii Medvedev on December 30th, Segodnya.ua reports.
According to the document, the contractual price for thousand cubes of natural gas will make up $230. However, the offered discount, which is calculated as per formula, can reach $17.77. This means that from January 1 to March 31, 2016, Ukraine will likely purchase Russian gas at $212.23 per thousand cubes.
According to experts, the reason for such behavior of Russia is economic: crude oil dropped in price worldwide, its price affects the gas cost, it means that neighbor needs Ukraine as the gas consumer.
Analysts think that this scenario with gas price is a compromise, because in the IV quarter of 2015 we paid $227.4. In addition, the discount will allow to save costs, as the price of $225/1 ths cub.m was included into Budget-2016.
“If Gazprom offers Ukraine to purchase gas at $212.23, then most probably “Neftegaz” will agree, as these estimates are competitive in regard to fuel cost on EU spot markets”, the Director of Energy Programs of Global Economy Center Valentin Zemlianskii explains to us.
According to him, this winter Ukraine will need to purchase more 4.5 billion cubes of gas, and this will need $800 – 900 mln: “In winter Ukraine will consume about 28 billion cub.m. of gas. These needs are partially satisfied at the expense of own production and reserves of the UGSF amounting to 13.7 bln cubes.
But we cannot do without purchasing blue fuel. Most likely, the funds for gas import will be raised at the expense of new loans”.
