Despite the next price records on the European gas market, until the end of the current heating season, prices for blue fuel for the population in Ukraine will remain at their current level – within the limits of the current annual proposals, which range from UAH 7.8 to UAH 13.5 per cubic meter.
New annual offers for the 2022-2023 season will be determined in April. Their size will depend on market prices in the European market and Gazprom's behavior. Yuriy Vitrenko, head of the board of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine, recalled this at the final press conference.
– The new annual price for the population will be formed around April. Because the new annual offers are supposed to run from May. We will see what the price level will be, because now it is quite difficult to predict what the price will be. It depends on the actions of Russia, which artificially restricts gas supplies to the European market, blocks competition, – explained Yuri Vitrenko.
The head of Naftogaz recalled: the purpose of the complaint with which the company had filed with the European Commission the day before was for the European Commission to urgently force Gazprom to stop maintaining an artificial gas shortage in Europe and block access to alternative fuel suppliers on the eastern border of Ukraine.
< p> & # 8212; There is a procedure stipulated by European law when the competition authority can take such urgent urgent measures when required. We are convinced that this is required right now.
If the European antimonopoly authority now forces Gazprom to stop these anticompetitive actions and remove artificial restrictions, there will be much more gas on the European market – both Gazprom and Gazprom's competitors. Accordingly, this will lead to a significant (at times) reduction in prices, & # 8212; he added.
As of December 22, there are 14.5 billion cubic meters of gas in Ukrainian underground storage facilities. As stated in Naftogaz, such volumes will be enough until the end of the heating season, so there are no grounds for concern.
