https://www.unian.info/society/1804457-explosion-reported-at-coal-mine-in-lviv-region.html
At the moment of the blast, 172 miners were working at the mine.
The State Emergency Service on Thursday reported an explosion at mine No. 10 Stepova of JSC Lvivvuhillia in the village of Hlukhiv in Lviv region’s Sokalskiy district
It is noted that the explosion occurred at the depth of 550 meters, resulting in an internal collapse of the rock.
Of 172 miners on shift, 34 people were working at an emergency site. Eight people have been killed in the blast, according to the incoming reports and another six were injured and brought to the surface.
The fate of another 20 miners remains unknown.
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https://www.unian.info/economics/18...ng-polish-lawsuit-over-opal-gas-pipeline.html
National oil and gas holding company Naftogaz of Ukraine has applied to the European Court of Justice with a request to grant it a right to join the claim of the Polish company PGNiG, which challenged the decision of the European Commission on expanded access for the Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom company to the European gas pipeline OPAL, according to Naftogaz's press service.
"Naftogaz has applied to the General Court of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) with a request for leave to intervene in the case initiated by PGNiG Supply & Trading (PGNiG ST) which challenges the decision of the European Commission of October 28, 2016 in respect of the OPAL pipeline. The decision effectively enables Gazprom to significantly increase the use of OPAL capacity and deliver more gas through Nord Stream," the press service reports.
It is also noted that, according to the Statute of the European Court of Justice, a legal entity may join a case before the court when it can prove an interest in the result of a case submitted to it.
"Naftogaz has applied for intervention with the reference to the court’s previous jurisprudence and potential negative consequences of the European Commission's decision for the company, namely decrease in natural gas transit through Ukraine, threat to the stability of gas supplies to Ukraine because of possible interruption of gas flows from Poland," the press service said, adding that the decision of the European Commission also leads to deterioration of Naftogaz's competitive position.
Moreover, joining the case initiated by PGNiG will enable Naftogaz to present additional arguments and gain access to the case files. As UNIAN reported earlier, the European Commission's decision to grant the Gazprom additional access to 30% of the OPAL pipeline capacity (with existing 50%), allowing combination of the Nord Stream capacity with the gas transportation system in Central and Western Europe, bypassing Ukraine, will lead to financial losses for the country as a key transit of gas to Europe in the amount of at least $290-320 million per year and transit reduction by 10-11 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
This decision was appealed to the European Court of Justice by the Polish oil and gas company PGNiG. According to PGNiG, the court suspended the decision on Gazprom's access to the OPAL gas pipeline on December 27, 2016.
February 28, 2017, Naftogaz Chief Commercial Officer Yuriy Vitrenko announced the company's plans to join the lawsuit filed by PGNiG.
http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/economic/406666.html
Ukraine imported 2.82 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas from Europe in January-February 2017, up 30% year-on-year, the gas pipeline operator Ukrtransgaz has said.
Interfax-Ukraine calculates that this included 2.408 bcm of gas from Slovakia, 179.9 million cubic meters (mcm) from Hungary and 232 mcm from Poland.
Ukraine imported 1.37 bcm of gas from Europe in February alone, up 9% from 1.254 bcm in the same month last year.
Daily imports of natural gas from Europe are averaging at 50 mcm, according to preliminary information.
Ukraine is only importing gas via its western border - it has not imported gas from Russia's Gazprom since November 26, 2015.
Ukraine slashed gas imports 32.7% last year compared with 2016 to 11.078 bcm.
http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/economic/406683.html
Public joint-stock company Odesa Port-Side Plant is resuming its operations after a two-month idle period, First Deputy Board Chairman Mykola Schurikov has said.
"Today we have started the launch of the plant! The tolling scheme is used now. We are working on all possible options," he wrote on his Facebook page.
As reported, after two failures to privatize the plant at the end of December 2016 the plant decided to temporarily suspend operations due to high prices of natural gas and accumulated debts for its supplies.
The company said that it is looking for companies interested in leasing of its property complex for a long period of time.
In February 2017 the shareholders of the plant gave preliminary consent on the leasing of the plant's property.
The shareholders also approved the debt restructuring to Naftogaz Ukrainy in equal parts during two years without interest accrued.
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Construction of Odessa Port Plant had begun as far back as 1975, and since1978 the Plant has been putting out its products. The principal purpose of the enterprise is production of ammonia, urea and of some other chemical by-products.
They come to OPP transshipment terminals by railway or through a 2471 km long pipeline Togliatti-Gorlovka-Odessa.
