Ukraine must accumulate over 14 bcm of gas by next heating season - PM

MOSCOW. May 23 (Interfax) - Ukraine must accumulate over 14 billion cubic meters of natural gas in its storage facilities by the start of the 2023-2024 fall and winter season, Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said following a meeting of the Anti-Crisis Energy Headquarters.

"We have decided that the amount of gas in our storage facilities must be more than 14 billion cubic meters by the start of the fall and winter period. Our strategic goal is to minimize gas imports to Ukraine through increasing our own gas extraction," Ukrainian media quoted Shmygal as saying on social media.

The meeting participants were also instructed to broaden opportunities for electricity imports from and exports to the EU and coordinated a plan for repairing 1,710 MW of generating facilities by the start of the heating season with all power companies, he said.

"The Energy Ministry and the Infrastructure Ministry have also been instructed to work toward protecting generating facilities and distribution systems from possible damage. Among other things, we addressed a proposal on decentralizing the power grid, particularly by engaging communities in developing distributed power generation," Shmygal said.