Ukraine on March 1-5, 2014 imported 179 million cubic meters of Russian natural gas, which is around 35.8 million cubic meters of gas a day, according to the Central Dispatching Department of the Fuel and Energy Complex (CDU TEK).
According to the report, on March 1, 2014 Ukraine imported 44.5 million cubic meters of gas, on March 2 – 44.3 million cubic meters, on March 3 – 38.3 million cubic meters, on March 4 – 34 million cubic meters and on March 5 – 17.9 million cubic meters.
If the existing daily volumes retained in March, Ukraine could import only 1.1 billion cubic meters of Russian gas, which is half the volume of gas imported in March 2012 (2.376 billion cubic meters) and in March 2013 (2.329 billion cubic meters).
Naftogaz Ukrainy has shown such volumes of importing natural gas from the middle of February when warm weather was seen and due to the unwillingness to boost debt to Gazprom in the conditions of a large shortage of funds.
In February 2014 the state holding imported 1.621 billion cubic meters of natural gas at the price of $268.50 per 1,000 cubic meters, which costs near $435 million.
Earlier Gazprom Head Alexei Miller said that the overdue debt of Naftogaz Ukrainy had increased to $1.89 billion for gas supplied in 2013 and February 2014. He said that March 7 was the deadline for February payments. Gazprom had not received any debt payments by that time.
Naftogaz Ukrainy paid in full (near $660 million) for 2.47 billion cubic meters of gas supplied in January.
