Ukraine currently has 12 bcm of gas in underground storage facilities, 1.83 mln tonnes of coal

MOSCOW. Aug 4 (Interfax) - Ukraine had accumulated a little more than 12 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas in its underground storage facilities by August 3, the Ukrainian media quoted the Ukrainian government's press service as saying on Wednesday.

It was reported during the government's conference call, which was chaired by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and dealt with preparations for the upcoming heating season, that warehouses of thermal power plants and combined heat and power production plants currently store 1.83 million tonnes of coal out of the planned 2.5 million tonnes.

The target figure indicating facilities' preparedness for the heating season stands at 60% as of August 1.

"On the whole, the country is moving forward within the set plan (56%-58%). Some regions have been ordered to accelerate this work," the press service said.

As reported, Naftogaz of Ukraine has been tasked with accumulating 19 bcm of natural gas in Ukraine's underground storage facilities by the start of the 2022/2023 heating season. Naftogaz, for its part, believes that 15 bcm of gas would be sufficient for Ukraine, as gas consumption in Ukraine has dropped seriously because of the crisis.