Ukraine will start the 2017–2018 heating season with 15.6–17 bn cubic meters of gas in its underground storage facilities, the press service of the national gas transporting company Ukrtransgaz reported on Wednesday, 12 July.
As of July 12, the reserves in the UGS have amounted to 12 bn cubic meters with an average monthly injection rate at about 1.55 bn cubic meters.
"With this injection rate, Ukrtransgaz will be able to accumulate 15.6–17 bn cubic meters of natural gas in storage facilities before the start of the 2017–2018 heating season. It is hard to predict more accurately as this depends on the availability of gas resource and ambient temperature in September-October," said UTG interim president Myroslav Khimko.
Last year, Ukraine started using gas from its UTGs on October 16 when 14.7 bn cubic meters of gas have been accumulated.
In 2015, the gas withdrawal began on October 30, when 17 bn cubic meters has been stored. By the heating season of 2014/2015, Ukraine had 16.7 bn cubic meters of gas.
In previous years, gas stocks before the heating season were higher.