Ukraine has started importing gas via Slovakia, according to a Facebook post by Serhiy Makogon, former head of the Ukrainian Gas Transmission System Operator (OGTSU).
“Previously, imports came from Hungary and Poland, but the cheaper Hungarian route is already fully loaded, so suppliers are forced to buy more expensive capacity from Slovakia,” he wrote.
According to the former head of GTSOU, the average daily import is currently around 14.5 million cubic meters, but in order to accumulate 13.6 billion cubic meters by November 1, imports need to be increased by 2-3 times. At the same time, Slovakia has the largest import capacity – 42 million cubic meters per day.
As reported with reference to Makogon, in order to achieve last year’s planned targets for gas reserves in underground storage facilities (UGS), Ukraine needs to import at least 5 billion cubic meters by November 1, i.e., approximately 870 million cubic meters per month or 29 million cubic meters per day.
He noted that $2-2.5 billion is needed to import the minimum 5 billion cubic meters, of which $0.4 billion has already been provided by donors and may be provided further. At the same time, he believes that funds for gas purchases can also be found within the country, in particular from the budget through direct recapitalization of Naftogaz or through debt repayment schemes involving mutual settlements.
According to Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE), Ukraine switched from gas withdrawal from underground storage facilities to gas injection on April 17. According to them, this season’s withdrawal lasted from November 1, when there were 87.037 TWh (8.315 billion cubic meters) in UGS facilities, and ended on April 16 at 7.062 TWh (0.675 billion cubic meters) – the lowest level in history.
GIE indicates that this year Ukraine ended the heating season with reserves at 2.22% of the maximum UGS capacity, while last year the withdrawal season ended on March 30 with reserves of 11.12 TWh (3.388 billion cubic meters), or 11.12% of the UGS capacity.
In turn, according to former Energy Minister Olga Buslavets, the total level of natural gas reserves in Ukrainian UGS facilities at the end of last week was 6.1 billion cubic meters (including 4.7 billion cubic meters of “buffer gas”), which is 31% lower than last year.
Over the past week, net gas imports to Ukraine (excluding short-haul) averaged 14.4 million cubic meters per day (from Hungary and Poland), while daily gas consumption in Ukraine rose to 30-33 million cubic meters per day, according to the European platform. per day (from Hungary and Poland), while daily gas consumption in Ukraine increased to 30-33 million cubic meters per day, which, according to the European platform
Agregated Gas Storage Inventory (AGSI), allows no more than 27 million cubic meters per day to be pumped into UGS facilities.
The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) produced 7 million 485.59 thousand tons of oil in 2024, according to the company’s report on last year’s results.
As reported, SOCAR produced 7 million 736.202 thousand tons of oil in 2023. Thus, last year, the figure decreased by 3.2%.
According to the data, gas production in 2024 amounted to 7 billion 718.053 million cubic meters, compared to 8 billion 390.738 million cubic meters a year earlier. Thus, DNAOC reduced gas production by 8% last year.
The company also notes that last year, gas consumption in Azerbaijan amounted to 13 billion 666.353 million cubic meters, which is 1.7% more than in 2023.
Earlier, the republic’s Ministry of Energy, citing operational data, reported that in 2024, the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan produced 7.5 million tons of oil with condensate at its own fields, which is 3.8% less than in 2023, as well as 7.7 billion cubic meters of gas, which is 8.3% lower than the previous year.
Large-scale investment projects in the chemical industry are planned in the Khorezm region of Uzbekistan, which are expected to transform this industry into one of the key drivers of economic growth in the region. This was announced by the press secretary of the President of Uzbekistan during a meeting in the Urgench district.
This year, the first phase of the construction of a $10 billion gas chemical complex will begin in the Tuprakkalinsky district, which will use MTO (methanol-olefin) technology. Upon completion of the project, the complex will annually produce 14 types of basic polymer products with high added value and a total capacity of up to 2 million tons.
The project was first announced in March last year during the Head of State’s visit to the region. At that time, Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a working meeting with the leadership of the Ministry of Energy, Uzkimyosanoat, and a large foreign investment company, whose name was not disclosed.
It was expected that the future production facilities would be able to produce up to 2.5 million tons of products per year and create about 3,000 jobs. The project is scheduled for implementation in 2024–2028.
In addition, a 10-hectare chemical technology park will be created in the Khazarasp district, where projects worth $100 million will be implemented for the production of polymer products.
Special attention was paid to the region’s construction industry. Last year, 663 enterprises in Khorezm produced building materials worth about $86.6 million. To further develop this segment, 40 new projects with a total value of $100 million are planned for implementation in 2025, which will increase production to about $118.1 million.
Naftogaz Group will use a EUR 270 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and a EUR 140 million grant from the Norwegian government through the NORAD fund to purchase 1 billion cubic meters of gas as a matter of urgency.
“The funds received are extremely important for Naftogaz. They will allow us to purchase almost 1 billion cubic meters of gas, which is critical for the stable passage of the next heating season, especially in the context of war and regular attacks on our energy infrastructure. I am grateful to all the partners who help Naftogaz prepare for the next winter,” commented Roman Chumak, CEO of Naftogaz Group, in a statement on the company’s website on Monday.
Chumak emphasized that the financing is already available and expressed his gratitude to the EBRD, the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway and the NORAD Foundation, as well as the Naftogaz team for the successful cooperation that helped to attract financing for gas purchases.
As noted, cooperation with international financial institutions is part of Naftogaz’s long-term strategy to diversify its supply sources and ensure Ukraine’s energy stability.
Earlier it was reported that on April 25, the EBRD confirmed the provision of a EUR 270 million loan to Naftogaz of Ukraine to create strategic gas reserves, Norway supplemented the loan provided under the state guarantee with a grant of EUR 139 million, which will come through the EBRD Special Crisis Response Fund.
“Naftogaz has previously received two EBRD loans totaling EUR 500 million, which were accompanied by guarantees from the United States, Norway, Germany, France, Canada and the Netherlands totaling EUR 275 million, as well as grant funding of EUR 187 million from Norway for emergency purchases of natural gas.
At the end of March, Dmytro Abramovich, a member of the Board and Commercial Director of Naftogaz Group, said that Ukraine needs to import 4.5-4.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas by November 1 this year.
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) forecasts that gas imports will rise to $2.9 billion in 2025 due to Russia’s destruction of gas infrastructure, which will be partially financed by international partners.
“In the forecast period, production will gradually recover, but it will be insufficient to fully cover the domestic needs of the economy, including industry, housing and communal services, and households,” the National Bank said in its Inflation Report for April 2025.
The regulator expects gas procurement needs to gradually decline in 2026 to about $1.1 billion and fall to $0.4 billion in 2027.
“The continuing electricity deficit and losses in the gas production industry will hamper GDP recovery over the forecast horizon and increase the dependence of the energy and industrial sectors of the economy on imports, which will generate corresponding price risks that may be passed on to consumer prices,” the NBU added.
It is noted that significant risks of further destruction of energy infrastructure remain, and their realization could further dampen GDP growth and increase inflationary pressures. At the same time, the possibility of a faster recovery of the electricity or gas infrastructure or the introduction of new capacities remains a positive factor for the forecast.
As reported, during three years of full-scale invasion, Russia has carried out more than 30 massive complex attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure facilities, causing billions of dollars in damage.
According to the former head of the Ukrainian Gas Transmission System Operator (OGTSU), Serhiy Makogon, given the volume of its own production, Ukraine will need to import 5.5-6.3 billion cubic meters of gas by the start of the heating season on November 1, 2025, which will require approximately $2.5-3 billion. According to his estimates, by the start of the next heating season, it is necessary to have at least 9 billion cubic meters of reserves (excluding buffer gas) in underground gas storage facilities, as this year’s experience has shown that starting the season with lower reserves is extremely risky, since by the end of the season reserves fell to approximately 0.68 billion cubic meters.
In turn, Dmitry Abramovich, a member of the board and commercial director of the Naftogaz group, said at the end of March that Ukraine needs to import 4.5-4.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas by November 1 this year.
Since the beginning of this year, Naftogaz has contracted 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas: 800 million cubic meters were urgently imported at the beginning of the year, 400 million cubic meters will arrive in the country in preparation for next winter, and another 300 million cubic meters of LNG were purchased by Naftogaz from Poland’s ORLEN. The company is also negotiating with the government and international financial institutions to attract EUR 1 billion in financing to purchase more than 2 billion cubic meters of gas.
According to Makogon, guaranteed gas import capacity is approximately 50 million cubic meters per day, so it will take three months to import 4.6 billion cubic meters of gas and four months to import 5.6-6.3 billion cubic meters, assuming 100% capacity utilization, which is commercially difficult to achieve.
Thus, he believes that in order to import the necessary volumes by November 1, it is necessary to start importing significant volumes of gas as early as May.
Naftogaz Group has contracted 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas since the beginning of the year: 800 million cubic meters were urgently imported at the beginning of the year, 400 million cubic meters will be delivered to Ukraine in preparation for the next winter, and another 300 million cubic meters of LNG were purchased by Naftogaz from Polish ORLEN.
“During the first quarter, Naftogaz managed to attract about EUR 430 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Government of the Kingdom of Norway, which will soon be used to purchase 1 billion cubic meters of imported natural gas,” said Roman Chumak, acting Chairman of the Board of Naftogaz of Ukraine. Roman Chumak, quoted by the group’s press service in a message on the Telegram channel.
According to him, the company is also negotiating with the government and international financial institutions to raise funding in the amount of EUR 1 billion to purchase more than 2 billion cubic meters of gas.
As reported with reference to the former head of the Ukrainian Gas Transmission System Operator (GTSOU), Serhiy Makohon, Ukraine, given its own production volumes, needs to import 5.5-6.3 bcm of gas by the start of the heating season on November 1, 2025, which will require approximately $2.5-3 billion. According to his estimates, by the beginning of the next heating season, it is necessary to have at least 9 bcm of reserves in the UGS facilities (without buffer gas), as this year’s experience has shown that starting the season with lower reserves is extremely risky.
In his turn, Dmytro Abramovich, a member of the Board and Commercial Director of Naftogaz Group, said in late March that Ukraine needs to import 4.5-4.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas by November 1 this year.
According to Makohon, the guaranteed capacity for gas imports is approximately 50 million cubic meters per day, so it will take three months to import 4.6 billion cubic meters of gas, and 5.6-6.3 billion cubic meters in 4 months, and this is at 100% utilization, which is commercially difficult to achieve.
Thus, he believes that in order to import the necessary volumes by November 1, it is necessary to start importing significant volumes of gas in May.
