07.05.03

Ukrainian, Polish officials prepare for Odessa-Brody-Gdansk presentation

A two-day working meeting between representatives from Poland and Ukraine dealing with the construction of the Odessa-Brody-Gdansk pipeline is to end on Wednesday.

Deutsche Welle's Ukrainian service reported that, according to the Polish representatives, during the meeting the Ukrainian side provided exhaustive answers on the commercial potential for this project.

At the meeting the sides agreed conditions for a joint presentation by Poland and Ukraine of the Odessa-Brody-Gdansk project in Brussels on May 27.

Ukrtransnafta CEO Alexander Todiichuk stressed in an interview with Deutsche Welle that the European Union is interested in the project. He said that the EU pays a lot of attention to pipeline transportation and because tanker transportation has increased in price, Ukrainian routes have become much more profitable for Western partners.

Todiichuk quoted European Commission Vice President and Energy and Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio as saying that the Odessa- Brody-Gdansk project "is already not a Ukrainian nor a Polish project, but a European project."

In turn, Polish Deputy Prime Minister Marek Pol stressed that this project will significantly increase the process of Ukrainian integration with the EU.

The official presentation of the first stage of the business plan is planned for May 16. Ukrtransnafta and the Polish consortium Golden Gate have decided to begin design work on the Brody-Plotsk, which is a continuation of the Odessa-Brody pipeline.

Ukrtransnafta is also considering the possibility of setting up a single consortium to manage the pipeline from Odessa to Gdansk, which may include the Odessa-Brody pipeline and the Yuzhny (Odessa) terminal, and also the Plotsk-Gdansk pipeline and a transshipment complex in Gdansk.

Construction of the Odessa-Brody pipeline, which stretches 674 km and has a diameter of 1,020 mm, was completed in 2001.

An energy conference on the presentation of the Odessa-Brody- Gdansk pipeline is to be held in Brussels on May 27. The EU started to consider the Odessa-Brody-Gdansk project after a joint appeal from the Polish and Ukrainian prime ministers for the EU to more actively support the construction of the Odessa-Gdansk oil transport corridor.

Consultations of the Russian, Ukrainian and German experts on questions of management of gas-transmission system of Ukraine will start in Kiev today

Two-day consultations of the Russian, Ukrainian and German experts on questions of management of gas-transmission system of Ukraine will start in Kiev today. Representatives of "Gazprom" will take part in negotiations from the Russian side, Ukrainian - "Naftogaz of Ukraine ", German - "Rurgaz".