Their total debt for gas, taken for their own production and technological needs, exceeded UAH 4.4 billion.
“Naftogaz of Ukraine” demands the disconnection of eight regional gas companies: Dniprogaz, Dnipropetrovskgaz, Luhanskgaz, Kharkivgaz, Kharkivmiskgaz, Chernivtsigaz, Melitopolgaz and Mariupolgaz. Most of them work in the war zone in the east of Ukraine, and two are located in the occupied territory.
Back in March 2022, the government obliged Naftogaz to supply natural gas to heat producers, regional and municipal gas companies as part of the imposition of special obligations. Oblgas deliver gas to consumers, and in the process take gas from the system for their own production and technological needs, regardless of whether they have a contract with the supplier or not.
Eight regional gas companies could not conclude a contract with Naftogaz on special terms. By law, without a signed contract, regional gas companies automatically became customers of the reserve gas supplier — the “last hope” supplier (PON), the same Naftogaz of Ukraine Group, but at a higher gas price. As a result, the total debt of these regional gas companies for gas taken for their own production and technological needs exceeded UAH 4.4 billion. as of November 1.
Serhii Belyaev, the head of Naftogaz of Ukraine, appealed to the Operator of the GTS of Ukraine with a demand to exclude regional gas from the PON register due to debts, and therefore to deprive the last legal way to obtain gas. After that, the GTS Operator must either try to disconnect regional gas (which is illegal), or allow deliberate theft of gas from the system (also questionable from the point of view of the law).
Billion-dollar debts for gas are not news on the Ukrainian market, but Naftogaz is offering such a creative way to solve them — to remove oblgaz from the register of the last possible supplier — it seems that Naftogaz is offering it for the first time.
As the former general director of the GTS Operator, Serhiy Makogon, said, thanks to Naftogaz's idea, the debt of regional gas companies for gas at VTV will grow 4-5 times faster. After all, the Operator will not be able to disconnect regional gas, and therefore the Operator's gas will be withdrawn from the system with appropriate sanctions.
It is interesting that the PSO provides for compensation for the gas supplier. That is, “Naftogaz” will receive money from the state budget for the supply of gas to the population, TKE and regional gas companies, but no one will compensate for the theft of gas from the GTS Operator.
Recent changes in gas legislation allowed Naftogaz to remove anyone with a gas debt from its list of clients. It doesn't even matter if it's a critical infrastructure facility — regional gas or a thermal power plant.
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Currently, the list provided by Naftogaz of Ukraine includes eight regional and city gas companies with overdue debt repayments. Ironically, some of these regional gas companies are under the direct management of Naftogaz of Ukraine. Which regional gas company owes enough for Naftogaz to cut it and all its customers off is a matter of time. But six regions of Ukraine risk being left without heat and gas in winter.
