"Naftogaz plans to create a network of national gas stations to prevent high fuel prices," said the chairman of the board of "Naftogaz" Yuri Vitrenko.
According to him, currently, people do not trust large private networks of gas stations, so a national network should appear.
"When there is a state player with a significant market share — 15, 20 or 30%, meaning, itʼs not 100% but not 1% either — then there is more confidence that consumers will have the opportunity to buy at a fair, competitive price. If the network occupies 30% of the market, it already gives people a real alternative. At the same time, it will force private operators not to raise prices either,” Vitrenko said.
He also noted that the company could be an effective tool for the state to cooperate with the worldʼs largest companies in terms of resources. But first of all, Ukraine needs to solve the logistics problem because currently, there is no logistics in the required amount. According to him, it is necessary to agree with such countries as Poland, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia to expand logistics opportunities in a non-standard way or even sometimes prioritize the logistics of oil products to Ukraine.
"In the current environment, it may be easier for large international companies to enter into contracts to supply large volumes of petroleum products with a national company. If to have additional logistics opportunities, you need to book them for a long time — "Naftogaz can do it," — he said.