When conflict broke out and Russia attacked Ukrainian energy facilities, the Ukrainian national oil company spent about 180 million USD on air defense systems.
Naftogaz company spends money on equipment operated by the military, including electronic jamming systems and interceptor UAVs. Naftogaz also builds concrete fences to protect important equipment. In addition, the company also plans to bring pumping stations and valuable equipment down to underground bunkers.
This is a model that energy "giants" in the Gulf region may have to learn from to protect essential supplies, according to US media.
According to Mr. Serhiy Koretsky - CEO of Naftogaz - the popularity of UAVs, both in the military and non-state groups, shows that the future of oil and gas companies globally, not only in Ukraine or the Middle East, will have to invest heavily in anti-UAV systems.
This means that in the future, gasoline prices or gas bills may include the cost of jamming and intercepting UAV systems. "Security is a key factor," Koretsky emphasized.
He said that Naftogaz is strengthening infrastructure in the context of Ukraine promoting sharing of anti-UAV experience accumulated after years of conflict. The Ukrainian army deploys many layers of defense, from interceptor missiles, interceptor UAVs to ground teams using machine guns. Ukraine also uses electronic warfare systems to jam positioning or cut off communication between UAVs and operators.
Ukrainian military UAV experts are advising Middle Eastern countries. Last week, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that more than 200 Ukrainian experts had been deployed to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, or were on their way to Kuwait to support anti-UAV operations.
Mr. Koretsky pointed out that most countries and energy businesses in the Middle East in the past were not prepared for the threat from Iranian UAVs, especially the Shahed series - a type of attack UAV that Russia also uses in Ukraine.
Middle Eastern countries have used a large number of expensive air defense missiles to shoot down Shahed UAVs, which cost only about 30,000-50,000 USD each.
Ukrainian low-cost interceptor UAV manufacturers said they are being contacted by customers from Middle Eastern countries.
Attacks on gas infrastructure in the Gulf region have shaken the energy market. Last week, Israel attacked Iran's giant South Pars gas field, while Iran launched ballistic missiles into the Ras Laffan industrial complex in Qatar - where the facilities of ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, Shell and many other corporations are located. Iran also deployed UAVs to attack energy facilities in the region.
In Ukraine, energy companies face increasingly changing threats. According to Naftogaz statistics, more than half of the 401 attacks on gas infrastructure in 4 years of conflict occurred in the past year alone, after the Russian gas transit contract through pipelines expired.
These attacks show the risk if the Middle East conflict lasts, when infrastructure is not destroyed in a single wave, but lets repairs take place and then continue to attack again.
Analysts believe that the entire energy industry will be forced to deploy anti-UAV systems for oil wells, pipelines and oil and gas processing complexes worth billions of USD.
