Photo from UNIAN
The underground storage facilities were filled 31% as of March 2.
Natural gas stocks in Ukraine's underground storage facilities (USFs) have shrunk by 44%, or by 7.587 billion cubic meters (bcm), to 9.606 bcm since November 7, when Ukraine started pumping out gas from its reserves amid the heating season.
As of March 2, 2019, gas reserves in the country's USFs were 1.5% down from the volumes reported as of March 2, 2018, the state-run gas transport system operator Ukrtransgaz said.
In particular, 62.94 million cubic meters (mcm) of gas was withdrawn from the storage facilities on March 2 alone.
The country's USFs were filled by 31% as of March 2.
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As UNIAN reported earlier, on November 7, 2018, Ukraine stopped injecting gas into the underground storage facilities and began pumping it out to ensure the smooth heating season.
By the start of the 2018-2019 heating season, Ukraine had accumulated 17.2 bcm of gas in its underground storage facilities, which was a record high natural gas stock over the past six years.
UNIAN memo. Ukrtransgaz operates 12 underground gas storages (USFs) with a total storage capacity of about 31 bcm. The USFs are an integral part of Ukraine's gas supply system and gas transit through its territory. The company is also the operator of trunk gas pipelines carrying gas from Russia to the EU. Ukrtransgaz is wholly owned by NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine.