The State Geology Service is preparing to auction 44 oil and gas blocs over the next year

The State Geology Service is preparing to auction 44 oil and gas blocs over the next year – 14 on the Black Sea shelf and 30 on land, acting agency head Oleg Kirilyuk tells Ukrinform. He estimates the lots contain 150 billion cubic meters of gas – equivalent to five times Ukraine’s 2017 consumption. His says his agency is starting an electronic permitting process, which allows companies to monitor the status of their permits. In one indication that energy companies take the Ukraine’s deregulation moves seriously, he says “demand is rising” for digitized information about lots.