So little gas: Russia's retaliatory strike on the Ukrainian Orlovka went unnoticed

A retaliatory strike by the Russian army at the Orlovka gas compressor station on the border with Romania disabled the equipment, but went unnoticed for gas supplies to Ukraine. The volumes are so small that they can be fed by gravity.

Gas supplies via Romania to Ukraine is stable and they were not affected by the Russian army's retaliatory strike on the Orlovka gas compressor station on the border on August 6. According to the platform of GTS operators of EU countries ENTSOG, from August 1, gas supplies through Romania to Ukraine through the point "Isakcha/Orlovka 1" averages 425 thousand cubic meters per day and volumes have not changed in a single day.

The retaliatory strike caused a resonance, as Ukraine needs to restore fuel reserves after they were almost completely depleted last winter. In Kiev, the strike was confirmed, and the Romanian operator indicated that there had been no deliveries for at least half a day after the night attack.

The Ministry of Energy reported damage to equipment, and videos taken from Romania showed a huge glow of a night fire.

Obviously, the supplies were affected by the fact that too small volumes go through Romania, and they did not change at all when the fuel began to be supplied by gravity without the participation of a compressor station.

Thus, the capacity of three strands of the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline is more than 70 million cubic meters per day. At the same time reversing to Ukraine can be supplied only 11.3 million cubic meters per day by one line. And even these volumes are 26 times more than the actual deliveries.

As EADaily reported, the Romanian route is used, rather, as an advertising direction for the import of alternative gas to Ukraine.

The press service of the President of Azerbaijan reported that Ilham Aliyev and Vladimir Zelensky discussed Russia's airstrikes on a gas compressor station transporting Azerbaijani gas to Ukraine, stating that this will not lead to a halt in energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and Ukraine.

The Trans-Balkan route is considered the most unprofitable due to high transportation costs. At the same time, the route has become political, as it is part of the "Vertical Gas Corridor" promoted by the United States to replace Russian gas. It involves the supply of LNG through Greek terminals to the Balkans and Ukraine.

It can be assumed that the strike on Orlovka was a direct hint to Ukraine about the ability of the Russian army to stop gas imports into the country if the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to attack Russian refineries.

At the same time, gas supplies to the country are declining and this is happening for other reasons. If in July imports averaged 27 million cubic meters per day, then in August they fell to 20 million cubic meters per day. Naftogaz has no funds. Earlier, former Energy Minister German Galushchenko stated that 2.9 billion cubic meters of the required 4.5 billion cubic meters were financially supported. And the national company reported that they were forced to take emergency loans from two Ukrainian banks — for $ 226 million. This is enough to purchase no more than 500 million cubic meters, excluding delivery.