Problemi Ekonomiki (May 2022)
Features of the Security System of the Gas Market in Ukraine
Abstract
The ways of implementing the main principles of functioning of the gas market in Ukraine according to the European scenario are outlined. It was determined that Ukraine currently applies such cooperation systems with the European Association of Gas Transmission System Operators EU – ENTSO-G and the European Association of Electric Network Operators EU – ENTSO-S. The challenges facing the gas industry have been clarified, including: gas distribution and gas supply companies have mainly carried out a formal separation of spheres of activity, remaining in fact the property of the same shareholders and vertically integrated enterprises; preferential pricing of natural gas for specific categories of consumers (population, heat supply companies, religious organizations) in combination with a special regime of guaranteed supply creates prerequisites for the accumulation of debts and manipulations at the level of gas distribution and gas supply companies; incompleteness of the process of establishing gas accounting systems and the existence of normative consumption volumes leaves opportunities for manipulations, abuses and debt formation between market participants, primarily gas distribution companies to the operator; instability in the natural gas market is one of the reasons that stand in the way of increasing domestic production and, accordingly, reducing dependence on imports; there is a constant threat of termination of the transit of Russian gas through the territory of Ukraine after the expiration of the current contracts between the Russian Gazprom and Naftogaz of Ukraine, which will bring significant changes to the operation of the gas transportation system. The structure of the gas sector, which covers the management of the corporation Naftogaz of Ukraine, is structurally connected with the state gas production company JSC "Ukrgazvydobuvannya" and the operator of gas storage facilities is studied. Several criteria have been allocated that will contribute to ensuring the appropriate level of security of the natural gas market in Ukraine, among which we can highlight the following: the low purchasing power of consumers. Several crises have been noted, consistently accompanied by the growth rates of prices and tariffs for energy resources. The direction of increasing own production of natural gas in Ukraine is provided for in the Energy Strategy of Ukraine for the period up to 2030. The basis in this direction should be an exploration for finding and extracting shale gas deposits. It should be noted that the oil and gas mining industry is characterized by several differences, primarily in the analysis and evaluation of the efficiency of investment projects. The use of the systematicity of energy security criteria of the oil and gas segment will provide an opportunity for the subjects of these market structures to dynamize the relevant components to obtain an energy effect, with the subsequent activation of mechanisms for adapting the entire system to new operating conditions. In summary, it should be noted that a system is understood as a certain number of interconnected elements that interact with each other and form the integrity and expediency of their existence in terms of synergy. The application of systematicity allows solving the long-term strategy and sustainability of energy security with the possibility of consistency of goals, balanced energy policy, and institutional transformation of the system. The synergy of the system will take place under the condition of adequate assessment of the main components for their functional purpose. The use of the systematicity method involves a description of possible changes in the structure of the energy sector system of Ukraine, namely: a gradual change in the ownership of energy sector assets, an increase in the share of the private sector in the functioning of the country's energy sector.
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