Bendukidze Comments on Seabed Gas Pipeline Projects
In an interview with the Ukrainian business daily Ekonomicheskie Izvestia published on May 18, Georgian State Minister for Economic Reforms Kakha Bendukidze said that Russia’s decision to increase the gas price has triggered more interest in the Trans-Caspian and Black Sea gas pipeline projects.
“I think that implementation of a commercial Caspian Sea-Georgia-Black Sea-Ukraine-Europe gas pipeline project is of huge importance. Currently, large and small options for laying pipelines are under consideration. The large one envisages taking gas from Central Asia into Azerbaijan and further [to the west via Georgia, the Black Sea and Ukraine],” Bendukidze said.
“We should thank Gazprom. Because when gas was cheap, this project was not economically reasonable. But now, even if Ukraine buys gas for at least USD 180 [per 1000 cubic meters], the project will pay for itself in six-seven years and the number of people willing to invest will also increase,” Bendukidze said.