Natural gas reserves in Ukraine’s underground storage facilities (UGS) have surpassed last year’s levels, reaching 12.055 billion cubic meters (425.7 billion cubic feet) as of September 14, according to data from consulting agency ExPro.
The figure is marginally higher than the 12.05 billion cubic meters (425.5 billion cubic feet) recorded on the same date in 2024, an increase of a little under 0.05%. However, it marks an important milestone in Ukraine’s race to fill its gas reserves ahead of winter after Russian attacks that destroyed critical energy infrastructure.
As of April 2025, Russian strikes on Ukrainian gas infrastructure are estimated to have cut Ukraine’s domestic production by 50%, meaning the country will need to import more gas for the heating season from Europe. Since then, Ukraine has restored half of its production capacity, while it is still seeking alternative sources to secure winter supplies.
At the start of this year’s injection season on April 17, Ukraineʼs storage facilities held 5.41 billion cubic meters (191 billion cubic feet), 35% less than at the equivalent time in 2024. Over the summer, Ukraine closed this gap, largely through increased imports, ExPro data shows.
Since the season began, nearly 6.68 billion cubic meters (236 billion cubic feet) of gas has been injected – 1.67 times the volume injected over the same period last year, already exceeding the total volume stored at the end of last winter.
By the start of the next heating season – Nov. 1 – Ukraine needs to accumulate at least 13 billion cubic meters (459 billion cubic feet) of gas in storage,according to ExPro data.
In September, Ukraine is injecting an average of 53.9 million cubic meters (2 billion cubic feet) per day – more than double the pace of September 2024, ExPro data says.
About half of this comes from imports, with Ukraine’s state-owned gas giant Naftogaz supplying almost all of the 23.6 million cubic meters (833 million cubic feet) imported daily.
Naftogaz is taking various measures to shore up Ukraine’s gas security, including accepting support from the Norwegian government, Polish company ORLEN, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as well as using bank loans.
In August, the Norwegian government announced that it will provide nearly $100 million to Naftogaz for importing natural gas to secure heating and electricity for households, businesses and industry.
The same month, the company received a $586 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to finance emergency natural gas purchases.
In preparation for the winter heating season, Naftogaz also took out two loans from Ukrainian banks – Ukrgasbank and PrivatBank.
Naftogaz also recently secured 140 million cubic meters (5 billion cubic feet) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the US to be transported by the Polish company ORLEN.