The gas reserves in the Ukrainian underground storage facilities have decreased by almost by 53% to 8.35bn cubic meters, Ukrtransgaz informs.
According to the company’s assessment, now it even less gas than in 2016 and 2017. Daily gas offtake is 8.2mn c m.
Meanwhile, the European gas storage facilities are by 25% less full. 10.47bn c m were delivered last day to Ukraine from Slovakia, 6.04mn c m from Hungary and 2.54mn c m from Poland.
Previously, Naftogaz reported that it would be enough gas in the underground storage facilities even if the March abnormal cold snap returns. Ukraine stopped buying the Russian gas in November 2015. Since then, it has been buying Gazprom’s gas, but through reversed supplies from Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. Naftogaz has paid to Gazprom to receive gas in March. However, the Russian holding returned the money to the Ukrainian company, because they failed to agree on a supplementary contract. As the deputy head of the board of Gazprom Alexander Medvedev said, for this reason Naftogaz has not been receiving gas directly from Gazprom since March 1.