Kiev sues Gazprom for transit tariffs in $11.6 bln suit

KIEV, Jul 6 (PRIME) -- Ukrainian energy holding Naftogaz Ukrainy submitted a U.S. $11.58 billion lawsuit against Russian gas giant Gazprom to review the transit tariff since March 2018 to the Stockholm arbitration court, the company said in a statement on Friday.

“Naftogaz Ukrainy has sent a claim seeking to revise the transit tariff under a contract with Gazprom today,” the company said. “Naftogaz demands revision of the tariff since March 2013 and preliminarily assesses its claims at $11.58 billion without interest.”

An official of the company said that the transit contract between Naftogaz Ukrainy and Gazprom envisages price revision in case of serious changes on the European gas market and if the tariffs do not correspond to the European level.

Commercial Director of Naftogaz Ukrainy Yury Vitrenko said in a Facebook post that the amount of the claim can be reduced if Gazprom books transit pipeline capacities after 2019.

“This amount will be reduced if Gazprom books the transit capacities after 2019 and/or if it stops blocking gas transit from the Middle East and exports by other Russian companies,” he said.

The Stockholm arbitration court ruled earlier in 2018 that Gazprom must pay Naftogaz Ukrainy $2.56 billion for non-shipment of gas. Gazprom said in June that a court of appeals suspended the ruling and that the company would use the decision as a ground to contest property seizure under the case in Switzerland and the Netherlands. Naftogaz Ukrainy is trying to enforce the arrest.

End