Ukraine pumps 23% more gas in July 2019 y-o-y – Naftogaz

NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine has said Ukraine increased its gas reserves in underground storage facilities (USFs) by 2.3 billion cubic meters in July 2019, to 15.9 billion cubic meters, thus pumping 23% more year-over-year.

"Ukraine increased gas reserves in USFs by 2.3 billion cubic meters in July. Gas volumes in Ukrainian USFs in July grew by 2.3 billion cubic meters, to 15.9 billion cubic meters. Thus, now the USFs have 3 billion cubic meters more gas than last year," as reported by the Naftogaz press service.

The company said gas continues to be accumulated in USFs as part of Ukraine's preparations for the next heating season.

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At the same time, Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolyev said the company had signed a gas storage contract with a number of foreign companies.

"Now we have contracts with 31 foreign companies for the storage of gas in Ukrainian underground gas storage facilities, they have uploaded 1.4 billion cubic meters of gas into our storage facilities and stored in the customs warehouse mode already 1.4 billion cubic meters of gas – this figure significantly exceeds our previous expectations. In total, there are now more than 4 billion cubic meters of gas in Ukraine's USFs, which belongs to companies that are not members of the Naftogaz group," he wrote on Facebook.

As UNIAN reported earlier, on April 5, 2019, Ukraine started pumping gas into underground storage facilities.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said Ukraine was to accumulate more than 20 billion cubic meters of natural gas in its underground storage facilities before the beginning of the heating season, which traditionally starts in mid-October.