Gazprom

Ukraine has agreed on a 50% increase of gas prices for domestic consumers.

Hike of gas bills is part of conditionality set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) if Ukraine is to be granted an aid package.

State energy company Naftogaz reported that price changes will be into force from May 1, with more rises due to be made until 2018.

The future of the South Stream pipeline is unclear and probably it will not be realized soon, said the head of the Italian company Eni, Paolo Scaroni. 

Eni is one of the key shareholders in the project and holds 20% of its shares. Eni is the largest Italian gas company and the main distributor of gas from Russia's Gazprom in Italy.  

Ukraine to lose offshore gas fields in Black Sea

KIEV -- With the loss of Crimea, Ukraine has lost not only its naval bases in the territory, but also offshore gas fields in the Black Sea, reports said on Thursday.

These fields will now likely be taken over by Russia's oil and has giant Gazprom, AFP is reporting.

The EU and the US have imposed travel bans and asset freezes against a number of Russian and Ukrainian officials.

The sanctions are targeting figures that are seen as having a key role in the March 16 referendum in which Crimea's population has voted in favour of seceding from Ukraine and joining Russia.

Crimean authorities took control of Ukraine's Black Sea and Sea of Azov oil and gas fields off the coast of the peninsula.

The speaker of Crimea's parliament Volodymyr Konstantinov told the Russian news agency RIA Novosti that the Russian companies including energy giant Gazprom should be involved in extracting the resources.

Experts from Russian state-owned Gazprom are to visit Macedonia's capital Skopje for talks over the construction of a South Stream gas pipeline section.

Russian energy giant Gazprom has warned that it will stop supplies to Ukraine if it does not pay its debt.

Alexei Miller, its Executive Director, explained Ukraine currently owes USD 1.89 B and assure his company "cannot supply gas for free", he was reported by Businessweek as saying.

KOPAONIK - The crisis in Ukraine is not affecting the gas price in Serbia, Srbijagas CEO Dusan Bajatovic said on Wednesday, adding that gas reserves are enough for households during this heating season.

BELGRADE - The problem with issuing government guarantees needed for the construction of the South Stream pipeline leg through Serbia has emerged because the reforms in Srbijagas, a government owned company, are behind schedule, the Ministry of Energy has said.

VIENNA - The European Energy Community (EEC) Secretariat has called on Serbia to rectify the identified issues of non-compliance within a time limit of two months since the country did not meet the obligations stipulated in the community's rules on ownership unbundling in the gas market.