2024-08-22T18:38:00+03:00 Economy 2024-09-16T04:07:17+03:00

Ukrainian news

Ukraine can return Zaporizhzhia NPP in exchange for extension of contract for transit of russian gas - expert

Ukraine can return Zaporizhzhia NPP in exchange for extension of contract for transit of russian gas - expert

Ukraine may regain control of the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia Region) in exchange for the extension of the contract for the transit of russian gas through Ukraine to Europe, which expires on December 31, 2024.

Volodymyr Omelchenko, director of energy programs at the Razumkov Center, said this in an interview with NV, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"The contract with Gazprom expires on December 31 of this year. And many countries - Austria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic - are interested in extending this contract. Gazprom is also very interested, because it is in a difficult situation. And, in my opinion, Ukraine can to play on this, setting as a condition for the extension of this contract the return of the Zaporizhzhia NPP with all the facilities and adjacent territories. If this plan works and we return the NPP, it would greatly ease the situation in the energy system, at least for the next winter to check the condition of the facility, there will be a lot of mining there, a lot of work will need to be done, including repair work," he said.

According to the expert, this scenario is realistic, as Gazprom is interested in continuing gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine against the background of a bad economic situation.

"You see, they (the russians) are in a difficult situation. If they are left without transit, how will they feed their allies in Hungary, Slovakia and Austria? This is the first thing. And secondly, for these countries, russian gas is also very important. They will put pressure on russia. So losing another EUR 6 billion will be a disaster for them. Therefore, in my opinion, this scenario is realistic, but it must be realized and something must be done for it. It is simply not worth waiting for the russians to return the Zaporizhzhia NPP through some negotiations, without mechanisms of pressure on them. Talks that we will exchange the Kursk NPP to Zaporizhzhia NPP are just fantasies," he said.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, in July, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy informed that Ukraine does not want to extend the contract with russia for the transit of gas to Europe, instead, alternative suppliers, in particular Azerbaijan, are being considered.

In 2023, Ukraine reduced the transit of russian gas by 28.5% to 14.65 billion cubic meters compared to 2022.

In December 2019, the companies Naftogaz of Ukraine, GTS Operator of Ukraine and russia's Gazprom signed an agreement on the transit of russian gas to Europe through the territory of Ukraine from 2020.

Ukraine and russia have agreed that, according to the new gas transit contract for 5 years, which can be extended after 2024, the volume of transit in 2020 will be 65 billion cubic meters of gas, and in 2021-2024 - 40 billion cubic meters each.