NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy plans to end 2021 with a net profit, CEO Yuriy Vitrenko has said.
“We are doing everything to show that, in the results of this year, Naftogaz is no longer a loss-making company and is financially stable,” he told Interfax-Ukraine on the sidelines of the YES Brainstorming 2021 forum in Kyiv on Friday.
Vitrenko recalled that the stability of Naftogaz largely depends on the solvency and financial discipline of its counterparties to whom it sells natural gas: thermal energy enterprises, industrial and household consumers.
In addition, the financial activities of Naftogaz are also influenced by the results of Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine (GTSOU), on which the dynamic payments of Mahistralni Gazoprovody Ukrainy (MGU) for the infrastructure transferred at the end of 2019 depend.
“The situation when a critical element of the infrastructure – GTSOU – incurs losses that are not replenished, for example, due to unauthorized selections or nonpayment for balancing services, is not normal,” Vitrenko said.
“Naftogaz has enormous problems associated with the fact that the entire industrial chain was financially unstable. Our task is precisely to make sure that, on the one hand, the entire market can develop financially sustainably, and on the other hand, Naftogaz is a financially stable company. which can increase production and really ensure, and not at the level of declarations, the country’s energy security,” he said.
Independent members of the supervisory board of NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy resigned on Tuesday, a government source has told Interfax-Ukraine.
As reported, Naftogaz CEO Yuriy Vitrenko and independent members of the board were not able to to develop a constructive dialog. Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal on Monday evening met with independent members of the Naftogaz supervisory board, and on Tuesday morning, the members of the supervisory board talked with the company’s management board.
On September 7, the prime minister announced in his Telegram channel that the competition for the selection of four members of the supervisory board of Naftogaz Ukrainy will be announced within a week.
According to him, the competition should end in November this year so that the new supervisory board has enough time to determine the requirements for a candidate for the post of chairman of the Naftogaz board and hold a competition to select him no later than May 1 of next year.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, by order No. 494-r dated May 19, 2021, elected three independent members of the Supervisory Board for a new term of up to one year: Clare Spottiswoode (Great Britain), Bruno Lescoeur (France) and Ludo Van der Heyden (Belgium), as well as two representatives of the state: Nataliya Boyko and Yulia Kovaliv.
In addition, the powers of a member of the Supervisory Board representing the state, Robert Bensch, were prematurely terminated, and Yulia Svyrydenko, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, replaced him.
Over 15 years, NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy has invested about $580 million in the production of concessional oil and gas fields of hydrocarbons in Egypt, said First Deputy Chairman of the Board of the company Serhiy Pereloma.
“We plan to develop this area in the future and, accordingly, to increase the volume of hydrocarbon production,” he wrote on his Facebook page following a meeting with Ambassador of the Republic Ayman Elgammal.
According to him, the joint company of the NJSC and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) – Petrosannan Company – were able to significantly increase the production of hydrocarbons in the Alam El Shawish East Western Desert this year. In particular, work has begun to increase hydrocarbon recovery by flooding an oil reservoir of one of the main fields, an intensive well workover campaign has been carried out, and significant results have been achieved during hydraulic fracturing operations.
“We plan to expand this successful experience. We are looking for ways not only to increase oil and gas production, but also new opportunities for their further transportation,” Pereloma said.
He also said that the Petrosannan Company has provided the Egyptian Coptic Church in Asyut governorate with geological data that will help drill new wells to supply the farms with fresh water.
Naftogaz and event organiser dmg events announced the launch of a major gas sector event in Ukraine. The Ukraine Gas Investment Congress, taking place from 20-22 October 2021 under the patronage of the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine and with the support of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, will bring together industry leaders from around the world to discuss energy transition, technology, and industry transformation, along with key trade flows and delivery strategies.
The event is ideally timed to address Ukraine’s efforts to strengthen links with the European Union and achieve energy independence by 2030. As the importance of European energy security increases, the event will provide a platform for government ministers, energy industry leaders, investors, and technology innovators to examine opportunities to modernise Ukraine’s resources.
These are quickly becoming an attractive investment proposition, with attendees able to consider a well-developed midstream infrastructure that facilitates the monetization of new developments at scale, asset backed trading, and extensive Europe export potential, with the largest underground storage capacity in Europe and transit capacity of 90bcm.
The Energy Strategy of Ukraine 2035 aims to create a highly competitive energy market which encourages foreign direct investment and underpins rapid infrastructure development and integration with the EU’s systems. The Gas Investment Congress provides a forum for value-add partners to contribute capital and technological expertise to secure growth opportunities and financial returns.
Naftogaz СЕО Yuriy Vitrenko said: “Ukraine, and with it Naftogaz, have a key role to play in providing energy security for Europe. With the second largest gas reserves on the continent, Ukraine has the single largest growth opportunity in natural gas production in the EU. As the Gas Investment Congress shows, the investment opportunities in the gas sector are enormous.”
Christopher Hudson, President of Global Energy, dmg events, commented, “We very much look forward to joining forces with Naftogaz to host this event in Ukraine. By bringing together energy industry leaders, policy makers and investors, the Ukrainian Gas Investment Congress will present Ukraine’s natural gas opportunities and attractive investment climate to the world.”
Anyone wishing to attend can register their interest at:
https://www.ukrainegasinvestmentcongress.com/register-your-interest-to-attend/
ENDS
About Naftogaz:
State-owned Naftogaz is the largest national oil and gas company of Ukraine, owning 38,000 km of gas pipelines and 30 billion cubic metres of storage capacity. Naftogaz’s strategy of hydrocarbon resource base development aims to double Ukraine’s gas reserves in the next 10 years.
About dmg :: events:
dmg is one of the leading global event organisers, working across several key industries. Its energy portfolio includes some of the biggest events in the sector, such as Gastech, ADIPEC, and the Global Energy Show.
For media enquiries, contact:
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NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy plans to actively develop the function of gas trading and from the organized market to become a market maker on it, Head of its board Yuriy Vitrenko announced the company’s plans at the 12th International Ukrainian Energy Forum of the Adam Smith Institute in Kyiv.
“Naftogaz will develop full-fledged trading […] In the future, we want to build a full-fledged trading function as part of Naftogaz. We see the need to work in the market and become a market maker, provide liquidity to the Ukrainian gas market and ensure the construction of a platform on which everyone can offer standardized products,” he said.
Vitrenko said that over the past few years, Naftogaz has been selling mainly gas of its own production and certain volumes of gas from storage facilities.
“I would not call it trading at all,” the head of the board said.
Commenting on the plans for the development of trading on the sidelines of the forum, Vitrenko said that Naftogaz, as a national company responsible for energy security, must ensure the priority of using its own gas to meet the needs of domestic consumers, the population.
“We produce approximately 15 billion cubic meters of gas [per year]. The population consumes about 12 billion cubic meters of gas through heat supply and direct consumption. Therefore, in principle, our own gas should be considered as a strategic resource to meet the needs of the population,” the head of Naftogaz board said.
At the same time, he said this does not mean that there should be no market and market pricing in this segment.
“But from the point of view of security of supplies, we must understand that this resource is primarily for the population,” Vitrenko said.
With regard to the imported resource, he said that Naftogaz considers it from the point of view of how much the market needs insurance from the national company to ensure sufficient volumes of gas on the wholesale market for the needs of the industry.
“But even in this segment, we understand that our responsibility, as a national company, is to develop the market, to be a so-called market maker: to provide real liquidity and real development of the market,” the head of the company’s board said.
According to him, currently Naftogaz sells gas on the Ukrainian Energy Exchange, but until there are opportunities for real trading, in accordance with international standards, it is difficult for the company to be a market maker in the market.
Head of the Naftogaz Group’s Commerce Division and Director General of Naftogaz Trading gas supplying company Willem Coppoolse has decided to leave the company, Naftogaz said in a Friday press release.
Otto Waterlander will be acting Head of the Naftogaz Group’s Commerce Division.
Iryna Zhuravliova has been appointed acting director general of Naftogaz Trading.
