Ukraine needs to purchase 7 billion cubic meters more gas to ensure the next heating season, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk said in Verkhovna Rada on Tuesday, May 3.
“When we [the new government] came, underground storage facilities had 5 billion cubic meters gas – this is virtually buffer gas, which is impossible to lift. Underground storage facilities currently have 12 billion cubic meters gas. It is necessary to buy at least 7 billion cubic meters more to get through the heating season,” Yatseniuk said.
It has been reported that in 2013 Ukraine pumped 11.635 billion cubic meters of gas into underground storage facilities. In 2013 withdraws of natural gas exceeded pumping 8.9 percent (1.03 billion cubic meters) and amounted to 12.665 billion cubic meters, in particular 12.328 billion cubic meters were withdrawn from Ukrtransgaz underground storage facilities and 0.337 billion cubic meters from Chornomornaftogaz or Black Sea Gas.
Ukraine has 13 underground gas storage facilities with a total capacity of around 32 billion cubic meters. Ukrtransgaz operates 12 storage facilities (31 billion cubic meters) and Chornomornaftogaz the other one (1 billion cubic meters).
Since Crimea’s accession to Russia, Naftogaz Ukrainy does not receive information from Chornomornaftogaz on storage, extraction, transportation and use of natural gas, oil and condensate from March 14, 2014.
