One of the top-managers of Ukrainian business-group informed Vedomosti System Capital Management (Donetsk) has got a license for direct purchase of Russian natural gas.
“It is more comfortable and cheaper for the large corporations to reach direct agreements with the gas suppliers instead of doing business thru Naftogaz or RosUkrEnergo,” explained the top-manager.
An official of the National Committee on Energy Regulation of Ukraine confirmed this information and added that in July Metinvest BV belonged to SCM was issued the three-year license on 2 milliard cu m gas supply by an unregulated tariff. Oleh Karpov, a Chief of Metinvest BV Purchase Department stated that the Company would supply gas for 90 enterprises on its own.
According to one Russian government official, in August at a meeting with RF President Putin and PM Fradkov, PM Yanukovich asked not to scale up the gas price by the end of the current year and to permit large Ukrainian companies to conclude direct agreements with Russian suppliers in 2007. Russian authorities did not object Yanukovich’s proposal.
