Ukraine through the gas measuring station Drozdovychi has begun virtual reverse of natural gas from Poland, expects its launch from Slovakia and Hungary, Head of Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine LLC (GTSOU) Serhiy Makogon has reported. “Gas supplies from Poland have already begun by substitution (virtual reverse) through the Drozdovychi station,” he said on Facebook.
To date, the volume of virtual imports from Poland is 5.5 million cubic meters. Since now transit to this country is 9.1 million cubic meters, 3.6 million cubic meters will be physically delivered to Poland, the head of the GTSOU said.
Makogon recalled that earlier, according to the previous transit contract with the Russian Federation, virtual reverse operations were not available to Ukraine: all volumes of gas had to be physically exported to Poland through Drozdovychi, and the volume necessary for Ukraine, in turn, was returned back through Hermanowice. Currently, there are no such restrictions; the country can import the entire amount of gas that physically goes there from Poland through virtual reverse supplies.
“Import from Poland also includes import of gas from the Polish LNG terminal. That is, right now, Ukraine can commercially import up to 9 million cubic meters per day or 3.3 billion cubic meters of gas from the Polish terminal via virtual reverse. I repeat: physically, the Ukrainian gas transmission system is ready to accept up to 6.6 billion cubic meters per year from Poland, but so far Poland, until the completion of a number of works in its gas transmission system, can only physically supply about 2 billion cubic meters,” the head of the gas transmission operator said.
“We expect that in the near future virtual reverse supplies will be launched in Slovakia and Hungary. The operators of these countries are working on this task. For our par, we are ready,” Makogon said.
Virtual reverses supplies involve the exchange of natural gas between gas transmission system operators when the gas does not physically move across the border and the parties offset.
