Naftogaz Group has fulfilled the plan of the Cabinet of Ministers to ensure gas volumes in underground storage facilities ahead of schedule, reports Naftogaz press service.
"For the heating season, according to the action plan for the preparation of housing and communal services and the fuel and energy complex of Ukraine for the autumn-winter period of 2023/24 and its passage, approved by the government, it was necessary to create reserves in underground gas storage facilities in the amount of 14.7bn cu.m. Today, Naftogaz Group has reached this figure, having fulfilled the plan set by the Cabinet of Ministers by 1 November ahead of schedule," the statement said.
It is noted that 14.7bn cu.m. is exactly the amount that should be enough to get through the heating season under any circumstances. This includes the costs of additional electricity generation.
At the same time, Oleksiy Chernyshov, CEO of Naftogaz of Ukraine, emphasised that despite the fulfillment of the plan for the heating season, Ukraine continues to increase production and pump gas into underground storage facilities.
Ukrtransgaz started pumping gas into underground storage facilities for the next heating season in April. Since 7 October 2022, 5.572bn cu.m. of gas have been withdrawn from the UGSFs.
At the beginning of the year, during negotiations in Davos, Naftogaz agreed to reserve additional volumes of gas needed by Ukraine to complete this year's heating season. Naftogaz also agreed with the EBRD, Norway, the United States, Germany, France, Canada, and the United Kingdom to finance the purchase of additional gas.