KIEV (Sputnik) – Ukraine is prepared to purchase between one and two billion cubic meters of gas from Romania in 2016, the head of Ukraine’s gas transportation system Ukrtransgaz said Tuesday.
“Romania is expecting a surplus in its own extractions of gas from between one and two billion cubic meters. They are looking for a market and we would be interested in the diversification of that gas…we have been in talks with them and we see that in 2016, we are ready to purchase that billion or two from the Romanians,” Ihor Prokopiv told journalists.
In 2014, after a temporary halt of gas supplies from Russia due to Kiev’s multi-billion dollar debt, Ukraine’s gas imports from Europe increased, reaching 59 percent of domestic consumption or 5.1 billion cubic meters, from reverse supplies from Slovakia, Hungary and Poland.
Ukraine currently purchases Russian gas at discount prices, following Moscow’s decision to prolong the so-called winter package deal for the second quarter of 2015.
