Ukraine and Italy's main energy company Eni have agreed to cooperate in traditional and alternative energy production, the Ukrainian government said in a statement on Monday.
The agreement was reached during a meeting between Ukrainian Minister for Ecology and Natural Resources Mykola Zlochevskiy and Eni SpA Director General Paolo Scaroni.
"The company and the ministry have agreed on cooperation aimed at studying joint initiatives in the sphere of traditional and alternative gas and oil resources based on the exchange of information, experience and technologies," the statement, published on the Ukrainian government's website, said.
The parties have signed a memorandum of cooperation and agreed to create a working group to deal with the issue, it said.
Ukraine has been seeking to decrease its dependence on oil and gas supplies from Russia by increasing its own energy production, including the development of Black Sea offshore oil and gas deposits. The country's government has also been studying the possibilities for developing its shale gas resources, which it says may be the largest in Europe, and has declared its intention to sign relevant contracts with the world's largest energy companies.
Eni, which operates in 70 countries, is involved in the South Stream gas pipeline project with Russia's energy giant Gazprom. The pipeline, with an estimated price tag of 24 million euros, is designed to transport Russian gas to Europe under the Black Sea bypassing Ukraine.
KIEV, March 28 (RIA Novosti)
