Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has invited Norwegian investors to produce gas in Ukraine.
Zelensky’s office said the president met with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and discussed with her the importance of maintaining a high level of cooperation between the two countries.
Zelensky “thanked Norway for its staunch support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” The sides agreed to work on “bringing Norwegian investors into infrastructure and humanitarian projects to restore Donbas,” his office said.
Norwegian business are expressing a significant interest in Ukraine in light of reports about improved transparency and anti-corruption initiatives, Solberg said.
“We are reforming our law enforcement bodies, we will have privatization, we will conduct reforms that help overcome corruption,” Zelensky said.
He noted the importance of support in the energy sphere.
“We would be pleased to invite you there to produce gas. We have gas fields but we do not have enough technology. This is not simply a business interest but as geopolitical issue,” he said.
The two also discussed alternative energy.
Zelensky briefed Solberg on the situation in Donbas. At the end of the meeting, Solberg presented Zelensky with a football, on which sustainable development targets were depicted.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine and Slovakia would do their best for ensuring stable supplies of gas to Europe.
“Ukraine and Slovakia are reliable gas transit countries, and we will make every effort to ensure uninterrupted gas supplies to the European market,” he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Monday after meeting with Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová.
Production of natural gas in Ukraine in January-August 2019 increased, according to recent data, by 0.9% (by 130 million cubic meters) compared to the same period in 2018, to 13.882 billion cubic meters, according to data from JSC Ukrtransgaz.
According to the calculations of the Interfax-Ukraine agency, gas production by Ukrgazvydobuvannia amounted to 10.073 billion cubic meters (0.6% less compared to January-August 2018), by PJSC Ukrnafta to 773.6 million cubic meters (9.9% more), and other companies to 3.036 billion cubic meters (4.3% up).
In August 2019, gas production amounted to 1.694 billion cubic meters (4.8% less compared to August 2018), in particular by extraction by Ukrgazvydobuvannia totaled 1.205 billion cubic meters (7.2% less), Ukrnafta some 100.9 million cubic meters (7.6% more), and other companies some 387.9 million cubic meters (down by 0.01%).
Ukraine in January-August 2019 increased transit of natural gas through its gas transportation system (GTS) by 2.3% compared to the same period in 2018, to 59.553 billion cubic meters, according to recent data of JSC Ukrtransgaz.
According to the calculations of the Interfax-Ukraine agency, gas transit through the country to Europe for the eight months amounted to 57.705 billion cubic meters (2.4% more compared to January-August 2018), to Moldova some 1.848 billion cubic meters (0.4% less).
In August 2019, gas transit decreased by 12.5% compared to the same month of 2018, to 6.362 billion cubic meters. In particular, gas transit through Ukraine to Europe amounted to 6.194 billion cubic meters (12.9% less), to Moldova some 168.8 million cubic meters (up by 4%).
Reserves of natural gas in Ukraine’s underground gas storage facilities (UGS) as of August 21 had reached 17.4 billion cubic meters (bcm), which is the highest figure on this date since 2012.
According to the press service of Ukrtransgaz, the high pace of the current year has already led to the fulfillment of planned volumes for injection at four underground storage facilities (Solokhovske, Krasnopartyzanske, Proletarske, Krasnopopivske).
Currently, gas injection continues at Bilche-Volytsko-Uherske, Uherske, Dashavske, Bohorodchanske, Oparske and Kehychivske underground gas storage facilities, where the average daily pumping is about 75 million cubic meters.
According to Ukrtransgaz, at the same time, more than 270 companies today use the services of the company to store gas in underground gas storage facilities both in a common mode and in a customs warehouse mode. Compared to last year, the number of such companies rose by 40%.
GAS, STOCKS, UGS, UKRTRANSGAZ
Ukraine from April 4 to August 17, 2019 doubled its natural gas reserves in underground gas storage facilities (UGS), to 17.169 billion cubic meters (bcm), according to recent data from JSC Ukrtransgaz.
According to the calculations of the Interfax-Ukraine agency, this volume exceeds the inventory indicator on August 17, 2018 by 24.5%, on August 17, 2017 by 22.2%.
The storage facilities of the country on August 1-17 were replenished by 1.318 billion cubic meters of gas, which is equal to the average daily injection of 77.5 million cubic meters, while in July the figure was 74.4 million cubic meters per day, in June some 71.9 million cubic meters/day, and in May some 62.9 million cubic meters/day.
Underground gas storage facilities in Ukraine, in particular, on August 17 of this year were replenished by 74.36 million cubic meters with imports standing at 66.91 million cubic meters and domestic production of 54.8 million cubic meters.
Earlier, CEO of Naftogaz Ukrainy Andriy Kobolev said that the company intends to pump additional volumes of gas into the Ukrainian underground storage facilities in the event that Russia’s Gazprom ceases gas transit through the country after 2019. Ukraine plans to enter the next heating season with the reserves of about 20 billion cubic meters.
