Naftogaz

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, oil and gas industry of Ukraine governed by Derzhnaftogasprom went through number of changes.[9] The National Commission for State Regulation of Energy (NKRE) was giving out certification for gas trading to anyone without order ignoring the Derzhnaftogasprom.[9] Guided by decisions of the First Vice-Prime Minister (on Fuel and Energy Complex) Pavlo Lazarenko, licenses were given to such companies like United Energy Systems of Ukraine (EESU), Intergas, Olgas,[10] International Trading Energy Resources Association[11] (ITERA), Ukrzakordonnaftogas, Ukrgasprom, Motor Sich, and Donetsk Oblast factories (later those formed the Industrial Union of Donbas).[9][12]

In the early 1990s, there was privatization of gas distribution regional network known as "oblgaz" belonging to "Ukrgas".[9] The process took place unnoticed and when Naftogas was constituted, not all privately owned distributors wanted to transfer their own stocks to the statutory fund of the National Joint Stock Company.[9] Along with the gas distribution network in the same way there were privatized enterprises of petroleum products provision including filling station and fuel repositories that belonged to "Ukrnaftoprodukt".[9] The whole petroleum products retail network had to be created by Naftogaz from zero.[9]

The predecessor of Naftogas is "Ukrgasprom".[13][9]

On 28 January 1995 after discussion with government the condition of agreements realization in provision for Ukraine gas imported from Russia and Turkmenistan, the head of "Ukrgasprom" Bohdan Kliuk was dismissed from his post on decision of the Cabinet of Ministers.[14] Bohdan Kliuk who was appointed on 6 December 1994, on 19 December 1994 signed an agreement with "Gazprom" on distribution of gas for Ukraine under disadvantageous conditions.[14] The issue with Kliuk provided Bakai with an argument to create Naftogas.[15]

The company was founded in 1998 after previously being named Ukrgazprom.[1] The main initiators who created the company were Ihor Didenko and Ihor Bakai (better known as Igor Bakai).[9][16] The last one was the first deputy chairman of the Ukrainian State Committee on Oil and Gas. Before Naftogaz, both Bakai and Didenko worked for other gas trading companies "Republic Corporation" and "Intergas".[9][16]

At the end of 1990s, Ukraine was consuming a record of 75 billion m³ per year which was the fourth indicator in the world and seemed strange to say the least considering that the country was not part of the top 20 in GDP volume.[17] Eighteen billion m³ were mined inside Ukraine by Naftogas along with some joint enterprises such as "Poltavska Naftogasova Kompania", Plast, Ukrnaftogastekhnologia and others.[17] All the gas that was mined by Naftogas and received through transit in obligatory order was being sold to population and state organizations.[17] The remaining volume of natural gas, Ukraine was receiving from Russia as part of payment for transit or was buying from Turkmenistan.[17] That gas was sold to industrial enterprises or was being re-exported.[17]

Also, instead of investing more funds in geological exploration for the Ukrgasprom, its money was used to patch budget and foreign debts holes, which led to decrease in mining of hydrocarbons and decline of industry.[9] Most of oil refineries were sold out to Russian companies.[9] The only refinery that belongs to Naftogas is Shebelynsky Gas Refinery which Naftogas controls through Ukrgasvydobuvannia.[9] Ukraine never had enough mined oil resources capable to provide for oil refining capacity that Ukraine inherited from the Soviet Union.[9] Most successful in oil mining is Ukrnafta, however recently Chornomornaftogas had more and more plans to develop newly found deposits.[9]

Before 2001 Ukraine had two state enterprises in transportation of oil "Main oil pipeline "Druzhba" and "Cisdnieper main oil pipeline".[9] The pipelines were often used by Russian companies, but after Ukraine built connecting pipeline Odesa – Brody (Black Sea coast – West Ukraine) Russian companies installed an alternative pipe route Sukhodolnaya–Rodionovskaya.[9]

In 2001 several Ukrainian parliamentarians made inquiry to the Prosecutor's General Office, Tax Agency, and Security Service requesting to open a criminal case against the head of Presidential Administration Volodymyr Lytvyn, the former chairman of Naftogaz Ihor Bakai, the administration chairmen of joint-stock company "Ukrgasprom" Bohdan Kliuk, the director of state enterprise "Ukrgasprom" Illia Fik, and others.[18] Those parliamentarians were Hryhoriy Omelchenko, Anatoliy Yermak, and Viktor Shyshkin.

As of 31 December 2008, Naftogaz with its subsidiaries had a total of 172,000 employees.[19] Naftogaz received more than $6 billion of subsidies in domestic bonds from 2009 to 2012 as regulated gas prices and expensive Russian energy imports led to heavy losses.[20]

In August 2014, Ukrtransgaz, the operator of the Ukrainian gas transport system, along with its Slovakian counterpart "Eustream", launched natural gas supplies from Slovakia to Ukraine after signing a Memo of mutual understanding in April.[21] This initiative was driven by Russia's decision in June to cease gas supplies to Ukraine in retaliation for the country seeking closer ties with the European Union. By launching reverse flows, Ukraine claims it is seeking no concessions – only implementation of existing EU law on EU territory. The Third Energy Package was proposed by the European Commission in 2007 and adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union in July 2009. This legislation clearly allows for gas to be traded like other commodities, thus creating a more efficient market which is less vulnerable to political pressure. In October 2014 the EU further committed to better connecting its energy grids, saying countries should be able to export 15% of their generation capacity by 2030.[22] The consultancy firm Strategy& (formerly Booz & Co) believes the EU could save €40bn a year by 2030 if it integrates its energy grids.[23]

Slovakia can provide more gas than Ukraine needs. In 2013, Ukraine imported 25.8bcm. Slovakia could provide Ukraine with 30bcm. Ukraine is asking that the EU fully support west-to-east exports to Ukraine, which would eliminate the scope for Russia to use gas as a weapon to achieve its political aims in Ukraine. Norway's energy giant Statoil began transiting gas eastwards from Slovakia in 2014,[24] and Shell began in 2015.[25]

In response to the reverse flows initiative, Russia has cut supplies to central and eastern European countries, seeking to prevent exports to Ukraine.[26] In September, Hungary stopped supplying gas to Ukraine, days after a meeting between Hungarian Prime Minister Orban and Gazprom's CEO.[27] Gazprom charges widely different prices to different European countries, which many believe is based on Russia's political goals in the region.[28]

Ukraine is seeking arbitration from the "Stockholm Chamber of Commerce" to fairly assess past debts between the two countries and to establish a fair basis of future operations.[29]

Since April 2014, Ukraine is the only non-EU country to voluntarily publish its volume in storage facilities on the EU transparency platform of Gas Storage Europe (GIE). The company also publishes data on the amount of gas entering and leaving the country.

In November 2014, Ukrtransgaz, the operator of Ukraine's gas transportation system, began posting daily statistics on the information platform of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas (ENTSOG). Also, the same year Naftogaz launched a new website in order to showcase its transparency initiatives. In March 2018, "Naftogaz" won a trial against Russian Gazprom for shortened gas supplies before the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, and was set to receive net amount of $2.56 billion.[30]

As of 31 December 2017, Naftogaz has around 72,000 employees and annual revenue of €7.443 billion.[31] Of total revenue, €2.908 billion (39.07%) is generated from oil and gas production, €2.415 billion (32.45%) from oil and gas transit, €1.137 billion (15.28%) from oil transmission and sales and €817 million (10.98%) is generated from gas transmission and sales.[31] Also, a total transit volume in 2017 stood at six-year maximum of 93 billion cubic meters.[31] The transit contract between the Naftogaz and Gazprom is set to expire in December 2019, after which Ukraine will cease to be the main transit country of Russian gas to the European Union countries.[32]

In April 2019, the Chinese Sinosure agreed to loan $1 billion in insurance coverage to Naftogaz.[33]

In the first half of 2022, Naftogaz had a deficit of $1.6 billion and as a consequence, went into default.[34]

In 2023, Naftogaz deservedly entered the top 200 companies in terms of revenue in 2022, demonstrating its successful performance and significant contribution to the world economy.[35]

According to Gazprom, in February 1993, Ukraine's debt exceeded 138 billion rubles.

That year Gazprom signed an agreement in Warsaw on the construction of a transit gas pipeline "Yamal – Western Europe" bypassing Ukraine through the territory of Poland. In August, the export of energy resources to Ukraine was first terminated for five days.

In 1994, there were stops of gas supplies and new debt repayment requirements by transferring rights to Ukrainian gas pipelines and enterprises.

In 1997, a so called Agreement on friendship, cooperation and partnership with Russia, and a set of agreements on the Black Sea Fleet were signed.

At the end of 2005, Gazprom in negotiations with Ukraine on the mode of transit and gas supplies has decided to increase gas price from 50–80$ to 160–170$ per thousand m³, motivating it a level of medium-European prices. Ukraine refused to sign contracts for gas supply till 2006.

On January 1, 2009, gas was discontinued for Ukraine, and since January 5, Gazprom decreased its supply for European consumers.

On April 21, 2010 in Kharkiv Viktor Yanukovych and Dmitry Medvedev signed a new agreement on the cost of procurement and transit of gas through the Ukrainian GTS, linking a decrease in the price of 30% with a continuation of the Rent Agreement in Sevastopol for 25 years, by 2042.

In July 2010, Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov said that the Government of Ukraine is negotiating the creation of a gas transportation consortium between Ukraine, the EU and Russia.[36]

On January 25, 2011 EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger first stated that the allocation of funds of the EU for modernization of the Ukrainian GTS depends on the guarantees of Russia to the gas market to Europe, and advised the authorities to persuade the Russian side to refuse to build a "Southern Stream" gas pipeline and finance modernization of the Ukrainian GTS. Oettinger mentioned that the total bandwidth in the 2011–2012 submarine gas pipeline with a capacity of 55 billion m³ and the projected gas pipeline "Southern Flood" with a capacity of 63 billion m³ will be 118 billion m³ and will allow Russia to supply gas to the EU without the help of Ukraine or Belarus.[37]

• UkrGasVydobuvannya (UGV) (100%), a subsidiary
• Zakordonnaftogaz (100%), a subsidiary
• Ukrnafta (50% + 1), open joint-stock association
• Petrosannan Company (50%), Egypt-based joint-stock association
• Carpatygaz LLC (49.99%), joint-stock association
• Chornomornaftogaz, state joint-stock association, currently under control of the Russian authorities after the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea

• Ukrtransgaz (100%), a subsidiary
• Ukrtransnafta (100%), open joint-stock association
• Ukrspetstransgaz (100%), state joint-stock association

• Gaz of Ukraine
  • Gas Distribution Networks of Ukraine
• Naftogaz Trading Europe S.A (100%), Swiss based company
• Kirovohradgaz (100%)
• Ukravtogaz (100%)

• Vuhlesyntezgaz Ukraiiny (100%)
• Naftogaz-Energoservice (100%)