Ukraine has stored 14 billion cubic meters of natural gas in its underground facilities, however the reserves must be increased by at least 1 billion cubic meters of gas until the beginning of the heating season, although it would be better to have a total of up to 19 billion cubic meters of gas, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has said
“Here’s our task on gas: now we have 14 billion [cubic meters], we need at least 15 [billion]. We must reach 19 [billion],” he said at the meeting of the government while, as the prime minister put it, he lectured Energy and Coal Industry Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Demchyshyn for a long and puzzling report.
Yatsenyuk also said that Ukraine needs to sign a trilateral protocol with Russia and the EU on supplies of Russian gas for the winter, as well as the agreement between Naftogaz and Gazprom, and find an additional $1 billion for gas purchases.
Yatsenyuk also corrected Demchyshyn by saying that gas supplies were diversified instead of depoliticized.
“As Russia’s Gazprom has been and remains a political organization,” Yatseniuk said..
In turn, Demchyshyn said that the European partners of Ukraine expect Kyiv to take active steps to increase the levy for gas realization and to continue the search for funds within the country to secure purchases.
Natural gas production in the mainland territory of Ukraine in January-July 2015 increased by 3.6% year-on-year, to 11.096 billion cubic meters, a source in the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry has told Interfax-Ukraine.
According to the ministry, Naftogaz Ukrainy, excluding Chornomornaftogaz, during this period reduced natural gas production by 0.1%, to 9.463 billion cubic meters. In particular PJSC Ukrgazvydobuvannia reduced production by 1.7%, to 8.558 billion cubic meters, while PJSC Ukrnafta increased production by 18.1%, to 905 million cubic meters.
The other working oil and gas companies in the country in January-July 2015 increased production of natural gas by 30.2%, to 2.115 billion cubic meters.
