Gas import price to grow to USD 430/tcm in 4Q12

Ukraine’s price for Russian gas will rise to USD 428-432/tcm in 4Q12, Interfax said on Friday citing sources in the Ukrainian government. Ukraine paid USD 416/tcm in 1Q12, USD 425/tcm in 2Q and USD 426/tcm in 3Q.

Alexander Paraschiy: If this forecast proves accurate, growth in the average price of imported gas will be 29% yoy in 2012. We expect the retail price of gas for industrial consumers will grow proportionally, which should lead to a 5-7% increase in retail prices in 4Q12. The retail tariff of UAH 3,509/tcm (USD 439/tcm) was flat in 1Q12-3Q12, though the price of imported gas increased 2.4% YTD. Any increase in retail prices will be beneficial for independent gas producers, including listed Kulczyk Oil Ventures (KOV PW), JKX Oil & Gas (JKX LN), Regal Petroleum (RPT LN), and Cadogan Petroleum (CAD LN).