UKRAINE-GAS-STORAGE-FACILITIES

Kyiv, July 6 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine plans to pump 13.135 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas into its underground storage facilities this year, compared to the previously planned 10-11 bcm.

This new figure is enshrined in Ukraine’s forecast balance for natural gas receipt and distribution, set by a Cabinet of Ministers resolution from June 20, the text of which has been published on the government’s website.

According to the document, Ukraine will inject 4.887 bcm of gas into its storage facilities in the second quarter of this year, 7.602 bcm in the third and 646 million cu m in the fourth.

Removal from underground gas storage facilities will total 12.305 bcm this year.

In the middle of June, Russian gas major Gazprom advanced $2 billion to Ukraine’s national oil and gas company Naftogaz Ukrainy to pump gas into underground storage facilities in order to ensure the necessary volumes.

By the end of the 2011/2012 gas removal season, 7.5 bcm of gas remained in Ukraine’s underground storage facilities. In preparation for the heating season, 9.9 bcm of natural gas were expected to be injected into the storage facilities.

Therefore, Ukraine planned to have about 17.5 bcm of gas reserves in its underground facilities for the upcoming heating season (October 15, 2012), whereas the country started the previous heating season with active gas reserves of 21.4 bcm.

Ukraine possesses 13 underground storage facilities with an active capacity surpassing 31 bcm of gas. Ukrtransgaz operates 12 of those facilities, and Chornomornaftogaz (Crimea) operates one.

[UA EUROPE EEU EMRG NGS]

18:54:24 EET-2