After the recent attack with drones and Kinjal missiles on gas storage infrastructure in western Ukraine, which is used not only by Moldova, but also by a number of EU countries, Bloomberg wrote, with reference to officials of Ukrtransgaz, that it’s still safe to store the fuel in the country’s vast underground facilities, IPN reports.
After the attack, Ukrtransgaz reduced its daily gas extraction capacity by 6% due to repair works, the article said.
According to Roman Maliutin, chief executive officer of gas storage operator Ukrtransgaz, Ukraine expects to bring in 4 billion cubic meters of gas during the summer months, which is more than last year. Countries in Europe typically use the summer season to build up stockpiles ahead of the next heating period. However, traders might be more reluctant after a strike on a facility in western Ukraine on Sunday.
Ukrtransgaz has measures in place to mitigate the impact if a particular site is damaged, the firm’s CEO explained. For example, it does not associate gas in certain storage facilities with specific customers but treats all of its facilities as one.
Maliutin stressed that damages do not affect their capabilities for gas injection into underground gas storage. They have enough capacity reserve and are ready to react.
An analysis by the Financial Times shows that Poland received over half the gas withdrawn from Ukraine’s facilities, with the rest used by Moldova, Slovakia, and Hungary. “Ukraine is playing a key role for Central and Eastern Europe’s security of gas supply this winter,” Natasha Fielding, Argus Media’s head of European gas pricing, told the quoted source.
Storage facilities in the EU reached almost maximum capacity in mid-October, and Ukraine became an alternative for storing gas destined for neighboring countries. Ukraine has offered foreign customers up to ten billion cubic meters, one-third of Ukraine’s capacity, in addition to 115 billion cubic meters of storage in the EU.
As for costs, based on calculations presented last autumn by Moldovan Minister of Energy Victor Parlicov, the authorities plan to keep the Moldovan hydrocarbon stores in Ukraine, where the price is almost 5-6 times lower than in Romania and also in other countries of the region.
