Ukrtranshaz JSC, the operator of Ukraine’s underground gas storage facilities, has started the gas injection season as part of preparations for next winter, Naftogaz of Ukraine board chairman Oleksiy Chernyshov said.
“Now gas is being accumulated for the next heating season 2023/2024. Due to favorable weather conditions, the previous season of gas withdrawal from underground storage facilities was one of the shortest in Ukraine in recent years,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
Chernyshov also specifies that during the period from October 7, 2022, to mid-April 2023, 5.572 billion cubic meters of gas has been withdrawn from Ukrainian underground storage facilities.
As reported, at the beginning of March 2023, Naftohaz said in a presentation by the company to holders of defaulted Eurobonds that 13.9 billion cubic meters of natural gas was used during the heating season 2022/2023, of which 1 billion cubic meters was imported, 5.3 billion cubic meters – gas lift from UGS, and 7.6 billion cubic meters – extraction by Ukrhazvydobuvannya.
At the beginning of March 2023 there were about 10 billion cubic meters of gas in the Ukrainian underground gas storages, the NJSC sets a task to accumulate at least 15 billion cubic meters of gas in the storages by the beginning of the season 2023/2024.
The system of 12 underground gas storages of Ukrtransgas, which is 100% owned by Naftogaz of Ukraine, has a total nominal capacity of 31 billion cubic meters. m, and includes Bilche-Volytsko-Uherske UGS (17.05 billion cubic meters), Uherske (1.9 billion cubic meters), Dashavske (2.15 billion cubic meters), Oparske (1.92 billion cubic meters), Bogorodchanske (2.3 billion cubic meters), Krasnopartyzanske (2.5 billion cubic meters). The following three categories of cu.m. are currently under review: Krasnopartyzanske (1.5 bcm), Solokhivske (1.3 bcm), Olyshevske (0.31 bcm), Proletarske (1 bcm), Kehychivske (0.7 bcm), Krasnopopopivske (0.42 bcm) and Verhunske (0.4 bcm) located in the temporarily occupied territory.)
