KIEV, Sept. 14 – Ukraine may be forced to dismantle its natural gas pipelines shipping Russian gas to markets in the European Union if Russia keeps building bypassing pipelines, an official said Wednesday.

Vitaliy Lukyanenko, spokesman for Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, said Ukraine will demand clarity from Russia and the EU concerning their plans to use the Ukrainian pipeline system.

“Since Russia is building gas pipelines bypassing Ukraine, Ukraine wants to get a clear answer of whether Russia wants to continue to use the Ukrainian pipeline system,” Lukyanenko told reporters.

The warning comes as Russia is preparing to commission its Nord Stream gas pipeline, which links Russia and Germany via the Baltic Sea. The 765-mile pipeline - costing more than $12 billion – is currently being filled with gas, a process that may take a month before clients in Europe get their supplies.

The warning is a change of tone by Ukraine after Energy Minister Yuriy Boyko said last week that Ukraine will continue to be Europe’s key natural gas shipper for years to come even after the launch of Nord Stream.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin earlier this month said the launch of Nord Stream means Ukraine is finally losing its “exclusive” status as a transit country for Russian gas.

The problem is that if Russia reduces shipments of its gas via the Ukrainian pipelines below critical level, their operation may become unprofitable and that would force Ukraine to dismantle them to prevent high maintenance costs.

“If Ukraine stops using its gas pipelines, this would be a very serious factor of risk for Europe,” Lukyanenko said. “That’s why we also want to know what Europe plans to do concerning the Ukrainian gas transit route.

Lukyanenko warned that without the Ukrainian route, the EU will have to rely on Russia’s gas and pipelines, de-facto increasing dependence on one source of energy.

“In the event that gas transportation via the Ukrainian route is stopped, western Europe enters an area of elevated energy risk,” Lukyanenko said.

Ukraine currently operates one of the largest gas transportation systems in world that accounts for up to 80% of Russia’s Europe-bound gas supplies. Russian gas meets 25% of Europe’s gas demand.

But in addition to its gas pipelines, Ukraine also operates underground gas storage facilities that are capable of holding 32 billion cubic meters of gas.

These facilities, located on the border between Ukraine and the EU, are unique and used every winter when gas demand in Europe increases due to cold weather.

“These gas storage facilities are ensuring absolutely stable guaranteed supplies of gas to western Europe under any circumstances,” Lukyanenko said.

Azarov on Wednesday called on Ukraine to take extra steps to save energy by October 1 amid a deadlock in talks with Russia over lower natural gas prices.

In January through August Ukraine’s transit of Russian gas to Europe rose 13.8% year-on-year to 70 Bcm, compared with 61.5 Bcm shipped in the same period of 2010, the company said.

Any significant decrease is Russian gas shipments via Ukraine means lost revenue for Ukraine that may weaken the country’s economic and political power, some officials have warned.

Ukraine is expected to earn $2.7 billion in 2011 from gas shipment services it renders to Gazprom, according to Ukrainian officials.

Europe’s demand for gas is expected to increase to up to 700 billion cubic meters annually by 2020, up from 530 Bcm/year in 2010 and up from 360 Bcm/year in 1995, according to Yuriy Korolchuk, a senior analyst at the Kiev-based independent Energy Research Institute.

Russia is expected to deliver 155 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe in 2011, of which 110 Bcm will be shipped via Ukraine, Korolchuk said.

Nord Stream will be able to ship up to 28 Bcm/year of gas from Yuzhnorusskoye gas field in Yamal region of Russia, Korolchuk said. (sb/ez)