Blast hits Ukraine gas pipeline

Kiev Reuters ^ | May 9, 2007

[jdm]

An explosion destroyed a 30-metre section of the trunk gas pipeline taking Russian gas across Ukraine to Europe on Monday, but Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom said flows of gas were unaffected.

“There has been no reduction in gas supplies to European customers,” Gazprom said in a statement. Gazprom customers in eastern Europe reported no disruption to supplies. A spokesman for Ukraine's Emergencies Ministry initially said the blast had stopped the flow of gas to Europe, which gets a quarter of its gas from Russia. Another spokesman later said a by-pass pipeline had come on stream and flows to Europe were unaffected.

Gazprom said it was fully meeting its obligations to supply customers and its gas flows via Ukraine had not been disrupted. In Brussels, the European Union noted no disruptions and said it was monitoring developments with Ukrainian officials. A statement said Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs was in close contact with Ukrainian Fuel & Energy Minister Yuri Boiko  to find out the causes of the explosion and its effects in the supply of gas to the European Union .

A spokesman for Ukraine's Emergencies Ministry, Oleksander Trigub, said the blast occurred at 2:25 p.m. (1125 GMT) on the trunk pipeline to Europe, near the village of Luka. The pipeline takes gas from Gazprom's Arctic Urengoi gas field via Pomary in the Urals to Uzhgorod on Ukraine's border with Slovakia.

[jdm]

A spokesman for Ukraine's Emergencies Ministry initially said the blast had stopped the flow of gas to Europe, which gets a quarter of its gas from Russia.

Another spokesman later said a by-pass pipeline had come on stream and flows to Europe were unaffected.

Who is to be believed here?

Spokesman A
Spokesman B

Considering this story is from tomorrow (May 9) they sure fixed the problem quickly.

Reminds me of this guy:

“There has been no reduction in gas supplies to European customers,” Gazprom said in a statement.

[verum ago]

Blast hits Ukraine gas pipeline

Seeing as there's no mention of casualties, I presume the driver of the blast must have been wearing his seatbelt...

[jdm]

Good one!

[petro45acp]

“Move along, nothing to see here...”

Anyone else wondering about any incident that disrupts processed fuel to the “west.”

[PAR35]

Who is to be believed here?

Given that the customers say they are still getting gas, I'd vote for spokesman B. The folks who blew up the pipeline are probably in a whole lot of trouble with Spokesman A.

There is a history of bad blood between Russia and Ukraine over the issue of natural gas. That's one reason Russia is looking at running a gas pipeline under the Baltic to bypass the Ukraine and the Baltic states.

[instantgratification]

It’s because Ukrainians were stealing gas and reselling it, with politicians keeping the profit.