Report: Novatek exec sees company unhurt by Russia–UK conflict

MOSCOW, Mar 16 (PRIME) -- The conflict between Russia and the U.K. will not have a sizeable impact on activity of independent gas producer Novatek, Deputy CEO and CFO Mark Gyetvay said in an interview with Bloomberg TV broadcast on Friday.

On Wednesday, British Prime Minister Theresa May accused Russia of poisoning former officer of the Main Intelligence Directorate Sergei Skripal in the U.K., expelled 23 Russian diplomats from the country, and said that Britain and the E.U. would continue seeking possibilities to cut the region’s dependency on Russian energy sources.

Gyetvay told Bloomberg that the situation is unlikely to hurt Novatek’s business, as traders usually seek ways to maximize profits from sales of each batch of natural gas or liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The company is disappointed with the fact that the world today attributes political and emotional traits to a commodity, saying that Russia sells “bad” gas while everyone else sells “good” gas. Novatek is working to deliver gas to any place that needs it, Gyetvay said, adding that he thinks it is a wrong idea to identify places of origin of any molecule of gas and to contrast “good” gas with “bad” gas.

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