Ukraine imports 1.2 bcm of gas from Europe in 8M
KYIV. Sept 2 (Interfax) - Ukraine imported 1.16 billion cubic meters of gas from Europe through Poland and Hungary in January-August 2013, according to the State Statistics Service and data from the gas-transport operators of Hungary, Poland and Ukraine - FGSZ Ltd, Gaz-System S.A., and Ukrtransgaz.
Ukraine received 131.17 million cubic meters of gas via Hungary and 105.37 million cubic meters through Poland in July.
Ukraine has started to import gas from Europe, operating its pipelines in reverse mode, due to plans by Russia's Gazprom to reduce transit of gas for European customers via Ukraine and failure to negotiate a lower price for Russian gas.
Ukraine began importing gas from Germany through Poland in November 2012 under an agreement with Germany's RWE Supply & Trading GmbH. It began importing gas from Hungary in April 2013 and is negotiating deliveries from Romania and Slovakia.
According to the forecast natural gas balance for 2013 approved by the government, Ukraine expects to import 27.3 bcm of gas this year, including 18 bcm from Russian Gazprom , 8 bcm from Dmitro Firtash's Cyprus-registered OstChem and 1.3 bcm from RWE Supply & Trading GmbH.
Naftogaz Ukrainy, OstChem, Sergei Kurchenko's VETEK, Rinat Akhmtov's DTEK and Gazprom's wholly owned Gazprom Sales Ukraine subsidiary are importing gas from Russia and Ukraine this year.
Naftogaz and OstChem imported 32.927 bcm from Russia and Germany for $14.025 billion last year.