Ukraine to increase gas withdrawal from underground storage to 20 mcm or more this week due to colder weather - former minister

MOSCOW. April 7 (Interfax) - Ukraine will continue taking gas from underground storage facilities this week due to the increase in consumption amid abnormally cold weather, former Energy Minister Olga Buslavets said.

"An increase in daily gas consumption by 10 million - 15 million cubic meters in the coming days will lead to a temporary increase in gas withdrawal from underground storage facilities to 20 mcm or more. This means that the season of gas withdrawal from underground storage facilities will end later," Ukrainian media quoted Buslavets as saying on a social network.

Temperatures in Ukraine are expected to be 5 degrees Celsius below the normal level of the past decade on April 6-13, and certain cities said last week they would have to turn on heating, Buslavets said.

"However, that period will not exceed one week and will be followed by the continued seasonal decline in energy demand in Ukraine and Europe," she said.

She estimated the amount of gas currently stored in underground facilities at 5.6 bcm (that includes 4.1 bcm of long-storage gas, including gas stored on territories uncontrolled by Kiev, and 0.6 bcm of active long-storage gas transferred to the buffer gas category). This is 31% below average of the regular years 2015-2018 and 32% below last year's level.

According to the Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine, Ukraine's net gas imports (excluding short-haul imports) remained at 39 mcm last week (50/50 from Hungary and Poland). Daily gas consumption amounted to 50 mcm - 60 mcm, which required taking up to 12 mcm per day from underground storage facilities and imports of up to 6 mcm per day.

Meanwhile, gas reserves in European underground storage facilities amount to 36.8 bcm (the facilities are 34% full), which is 23% below the average level of the past five years and 42%, or 26.7 bcm, below last year's level.

As reported earlier with the reference to Naftogaz Board member, Commercial Director Dmitry Abramovich, Ukraine needs to import 4.5 bcm - 4.6 bcm of natural gas by the next heating season, which begins on November 1.

Naftogaz said that Ukrainian consumers used 14.86 bcm of gas in the heating season of November 2024 - March 2025, versus the Ukrainian Energy Ministry's balance plan of 14.73 bcm. Consumption was 680 mcm, or 5% higher than in the heating season 2023-2024.

According to Abramovich, Ukraine lost 700 mcm in domestic gas production during the latest heating season.

At the end of the current heating season, Ukraine is due to have 500 mcm of gas less in the underground storage facilities than envisaged by the balance plan.