You're reading: Energy Strategy: Ukraine plans to diversify gas supplies, increase gas production

The updated Energy Strategy of Ukraine for the period until 2030, promulgated by the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry on Feb. 4, retains the need to find alternatives to Russian gas imports. 

The document notes that the pessimistic scenario of gas production on the territory of Ukraine foresees 24 billion cubic meters and 30 billion cubic meters in 2020 and 2030 respectively, while domestic consumption regardless of the scenario is estimated at about 50 billion cubic meters.

In this regard, gas shortage to meet the domestic needs will be sought from external sources, which in addition to the Russian Federation, include imports of liquefied natural gas from Egypt, Algeria and Qatar, gas imports from Azerbaijan, including through the LNG terminal and using the existing gas pipeline infrastructure in the reverse mode for gas supplies from Europe, the mechanism of which has been successfully implemented by Ukraine.

At the same time, if the basic and optimistic scenarios are realized, domestic gas production will be about 30 billion cubic meters and 45 billion cubic meters in 2020 and 2030 respectively, which will allow gas imports to the country to be almost completely minimized.