Ukraine will pump more of its own gas into underground storage between July and the middle of October 2013, enabling it to store an additional 1 billion cubic meters of gas, Energy and Coal Industry Minister Eduard Stavytsky told reporters.
“From July 1, we’ll be regulating the gas of our own production pumped into our gas storage facilities – we’ll pump half by the start of the heating season on October 15, and the other half will be for free trade, as before,” Stavytsky said.
“This is due to the need to prepare as best we can for the heating season. Given that the decision will be in force for three and a half months, we expect to pump an additional 1 bcm of gas into storage,” he said.
Ukraine aims to have 15 bcm-16 bcm in storage for the 2013-2014 heating season, he said.
Stavytsky also said national oil and gas company Naftogaz Ukrainy was still negotiating loans from Russia’s Gazprombank to give it additional funding for the campaign to pump gas into storage in Ukraine.
“Work is under way. This is normal practice. We don’t go anywhere cap in hand. We are negotiating on generally, internationally accepted terms,” Stavytsky said, adding that some of the loans might be raised against state guarantees.
According to the government-approved 2013 gas balance, gas pumping to underground storage facilities will total 8.457 billion cubic meters, including 5.502 billion cubic meters of Ukrainian-produced gas and 2.955 billion cubic meters of imported gas.
In general, Ukraine in 2013 will need 60.06 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Of this, 22.049 billion cubic meters will be its own gas, imports – 27.3 billion cubic meters, and gas from underground storage facilities – 10.711 billion cubic meters.
According to the balance sheet, PJSC Ukrgazvydobuvannia plans in 2013 to produce 15.3 billion cubic meters of gas, PJSC Ukrnafta – 2.5 billion cubic meters, Chornomornaftogaz – 1.649 billion cubic meters, and other gas companies – 2.6 billion cubic meters.
Ukraine had 20.7 bcm of gas in underground storage at the beginning of the 2012/2013 heating season: facilities operated by Ukrtransgaz contained 19.9 bcm on October 22, 2012, and Chornomornaftogaz facilities held just over 800 million cubic meters.
Ukraine has 13 underground storage facilities with active capacity of more than 31 bcm.
Ukrtransgaz operates 12 facilities and Chornomornaftogaz one. Naftogaz is the sole owner of both companies.
