Ukraine has 12 bcm of gas in underground storage facilities

MOSCOW. Aug 9 (Interfax) - Ukraine had accumulated 12.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas in its underground storage facilities by August 8, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Telegram, quoting data from Naftogaz, the national oil and gas company.

Preparations for the winter heating season and gas storage and procurement were discussed at a meeting with officials from the energy, economy and finance ministries as well as Naftogaz.

"The development of Ukrainian gas production is a top priority for all responsible persons. I asked the Finance Ministry to come up a mechanism for directing funds received from [gas production] rent to purchase gas produced in Ukraine," Ukrainian media quoted Shmyhal as saying.

Coal inventory at thermal power plants and combined heat and power plants in Ukraine is 1.83 million tonnes of a targeted 2.5 million tonnes, according to the Government Portal. The readiness of facilities for the heating season was 60% on 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 portal said

Naftogaz has been tasked with storing 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