EU Gas Companies Urge to Maintain Gas Transit Through Ukraine

The largest Slovak gas supplier SPP, as well as several gas companies from Austria, Hungary and Italy, have prepared an appeal to the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, urging the preservation of gas transit through Ukraine. The head of SPP, Vojtech Ferencz, called this joint letter from the company “an important voice of the business directly responsible for energy security and the economy of the region, which may suffer significant economic damage in the near future.” According to Ferencz, both European consumers and Kyiv will benefit from the preservation of the gas infrastructure in Ukraine and the continuation of gas transit through this country, reports dw.com. The contract between Gazprom and Naftogaz of Ukraine expires At the end of this year, the contract between the Russian Gazprom company and the state-owned Naftogaz of Ukraine for the transit of gas from the Russian Federation through Ukraine to Central Europe expires. Stopping the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine could mean problems for countries such as Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria, as they remain heavily dependent on these supplies. According to the Minister of Economy of Slovakia Denisa Sakova, the total demand of European countries and enterprises for Russian gas, which would have to transit through Ukraine, will amount to about 15 billion cubic meters in 2025. For Austria, however, this problem is less acute, since it has been able to establish alternative supplies of natural gas through Italy and Germany, and the country’s gas storage facilities are currently full. Who signed the call to preserve the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine A joint document with a proposal to provide access to Russian gas through Ukraine, as follows from a press release published on the website of the largest TASR operator, among which are the following companies: SPP - Slovenske plynarensky priemysel, a.s., eustream, a.s., MOL Hungarian Oil and Gas plc, MVM Zrt., A gas-intensive company. Societa Consortile a.r.l., Federation of Austrian Industry (Industriellenvereinigung), Confederation of Hungarian Employers and Industrialists (BusinessHungary - MGYOSZ), National Union of Employers of the Slovak Republic.