Russia proposes to set up consortium for buying process gas - Putin

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2....

NOVO-OGARYOVO, near Moscow, January 15 (Itar-Tass) - Russia proposes to the European consumers of Russian natural gas to set up a consortium for purchasing the necessary amounts of process gas for relaunching transits via Ukraine's territory, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Thursday night as he met with Paolo Scaroni, the CEO of the Italian gas corporation ENI.

"We propose to our European partners to share the risks of these transits and to organize a consortium that would purchase the necessary amounts of process gas for Ukraine, deliver it immediately there and organize the transits," Putin said.

He indicated that relaunching of Ukraine's transit pipelines system will require 1.78 billion cubic meters of gas

"Ukraine stansd in need of gas for ensuring the operations of compressor plants, and this is bigger than 140 million cubic meters, this is 1.78 billion cubic meters," Putin said.

Scaroni said, on his part, that ENI is ready to join a possible consortium for purchasing gas for Ukraine's transit needs.