Naftogaz Chief: Nord Stream 2 is partially a military project
The CEO of Naftogaz of Ukraine, Andriy Kobolyev, said during a broadcast on Channel 5 that the company's task for 2018 is to halt the Nord Stream 2 project by reforming the Ukrainian gas transportation system (GTS).
"Indeed, this pipeline is a big risk, and its construction will fundamentally undermine the economy of the whole country. We believe that its construction is partly a military project, [and] that Putin's goal is to eliminate the transport of Russian gas from the territory of Ukraine in order to open the pathway to full military aggression. Therefore, the prevention of this project, [and] the lobbying Ukraine's interests against this project, is one of Naftogaz's main tasks for the next year. And the next year is a decisive one," Kobolyev stressed.
According to the Naftogaz CEO, the only effective step that Ukraine can take to stop the Nord Stream 2 project is to attract a foreign partner to GTS management.
"Ukrainian law sets specific requirements for this partner: it must be a European or American company that has certification with the Third Energy Package that can come and manage the Ukrainian GTS with us," said Kobolyev.
Previously, Naftogaz hired the American law firm Yorktown Solutions to counter construction of the Nord Stream 2 in the European energy market.
Nord Stream 2 involves the construction of two gas pipeline lines with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year from the Russian coast, through the Baltic Sea, to Germany.
The new pipeline is planned for construction next to the Nord Stream pipeline. A number of countries are against the implementation of the project.