U.S. Department of Energy views LNG supplies to Ukraine as likely

MOSCOW. April 27 (Interfax) - Officials at the U.S. Department of Energy consider significant supplies of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Ukraine likely if they are required, and said the country's establishment of infrastructure for importing it is promising.

Supplies of significant amounts of gas, if Ukraine needs them, are very likely and quite realistic, the senior advisor to the U.S. Energy Secretary, Andrew Rapp, said at a meeting with journalists in Kiev, Ukrainian media reported.

The United States is already the world's largest LNG exporter and could double its current export capacity by the end of the decade, Rapp said.

The creation of regasification capacity requires less time and investment than the development of liquefaction infrastructure, so this option is also a good opportunity for Ukraine, Rapp said.

In addition to LNG imports, the U.S. Department of Energy also sees potential in developing domestic gas production, given the significant gas reserves and the largest underground storage facilities in Europe, which could strengthen Ukraine's role not only for the domestic market but also for Central and Western Europe.

The U.S. is working on launching a vertical gas corridor that will allow energy to be supplied from the south to the Ukrainian energy system not only for domestic consumption, but also taking into account Ukraine's role in Europe's energy architecture, Special Envoy for Energy Integration at the U.S. Department of Energy Joshua Waltz said.

The department's officials also said that they see Ukraine's future as one of the key hubs of European energy infrastructure, particularly in the areas of power transmission and generation.

As reported, in early April, Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Denis Shmygal said that the capacity of the Vertical Gas Corridor could reach around 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year after the completion of this route.