The rate charged by Ukraine for transit of Russian gas to Europe will be $2.7 per 1,000 cubic meters per 100 kilometers in 2010, up from $1.7 this year, Russian energy giant Gazprom said on Wednesday.
"The average for the year will be $2.7," Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said.
The new rate is 58.8% higher than this year.
Kupriyanov also confirmed the forecast from Ukraine's Naftogaz that the gas price for Ukraine in the first quarter of 2010 will total $305.2 per 1,000 cu m.
The Ukrainian and Russian prime ministers, Yulia Tymoshenko and Vladimir Putin, agreed on November 19 in Yalta that the transit fee and gas price will be formed on a market basis, with the transit fee rising by around 60%. In 2009 the favorable rate was due to a discount in the gas price Russia gave Ukraine.
The average annual price of gas for Ukraine in 2009 was $228 per 1,000 cu m. Gazprom expects the average annual price for Ukraine for 2010 to be $280.
MOSCOW, December 30 (RIA Novosti)
