HOUSTON (Sputnik) — Ukraine is capable to transport gas from Norway to Romania, Bulgaria as well as to Turkey and potentially to Greece, Ukrainian Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn stated at the IHS CERAWeek conference in Houston, Texas.
Demchyshyn noted that Ukraine's transportation infrastructure was developed in the 1960s and the 1970s, but is available and capable to transport large volumes of gas.
He added that the government of Ukraine is looking for a foreign operator for its gas transportation system (GTS).
"The Ukrainian government decided to find an international operator. It can be one company or it can be consortium," Demchyshyn he said. "We are trying to find an operator for this very valuable asset."
Demchyshyn noted that several interested parties have inquired about potentially operating the GTS, but were hesitant to proceed because of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine.
In total, Ukraine has 38 separate transportation lines connecting the South with the East and the West, and also the North with the South, Demchyshyn added.
He also noted that Ukraine might start selling gas to European countries if Kiev develops its local production of gas.
"One more valuable piece that Ukraine represents is our local production, which is massively underdeveloped,” Demchyshyn said on Wednesday. “It is wrong not to develop it, and that gas can be sold to Europe."
"That means the gas that is currently produced in Russia will go to Europe, as it won’t be consumed in Russia and Ukraine. I am sure that Ukraine transportation system will be used to transport this gas to Europe," he said.
Gas consumption in Ukraine stands at 40 billion cubic meters per year, 20 billion of which the country purchases abroad.
