Blast hits Ukraine gas pipeline

By Natalya Zinets

KIEV (Reuters) - An explosion destroyed a 30-metre section of the trunk gas pipeline taking Russian gas across Ukraine to Europe on Monday, but Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom said flows of gas were unaffected.

"There has been no reduction in gas supplies to European customers," Gazprom said in a statement.

Gazprom customers in eastern Europe reported no disruption to supplies.

A spokesman for Ukraine's Emergencies Ministry initially said the blast had stopped the flow of gas to Europe, which gets a quarter of its gas from Russia. Another spokesman later said a by-pass pipeline had come on stream and flows to Europe were unaffected.

Gazprom said it was fully meeting its obligations to supply customers and its gas flows via Ukraine had not been disrupted.

In Brussels, the European Union noted no disruptions and said it was monitoring developments with Ukrainian officials.

A statement said Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs was in close contact with Ukrainian Fuel & Energy Minister Yuri Boiko "to find out the causes of the explosion and its effects in the supply of gas to the European Union".

A spokesman for Ukraine's Emergencies Ministry, Oleksander Trigub, said the blast occurred at 2:25 p.m. (12:25 p.m. British time) on the trunk pipeline to Europe, near the village of Luka.