Ukrtransgaz, GTSOU to conduct regular stress tests of Ukrainian gas storage facilities, transport

MOSCOW. Feb 21 (Interfax) - Ukrtransgaz, the operator of the Ukrainian underground gas storage facilities wholly owned by Naftogaz of Ukraine, and the Gas Transport System Operator of Ukraine (GTSOU) will conduct regular stress tests of the gas transport system and the underground gas storage facilities.

"Preparations have already been started. This is important indeed, as it helps retain and uphold the confidence of our partners and encourage them to store more gas in our storage facilities, Ukrainian media quoted Naftogaz CEO Alexei Chernyshov as saying in a statement circulated by the company.

The stress tests will be prepared and carried out at four stages and their results will be made public before the injection season, i.e. at the end of April, he said.

Chernyshov thanked the Energy Ministry, the Ukrtransgaz team, and partners for making the tests possible.

The stress test of the Ukrainian gas infrastructure in 2024 will be modeled and conducted by a working group including specialists from the USAID Energy Security Project, the Energy Community Secretariat, the European Commission Joint Research Center's directorate-general, international technical experts, the GTSOU, Naftogaz, and Ukrtransgaz, it said.

Ukraine conducted identical tests in 2023, and their positive results helped encourage more foreign traders and energy companies to store gas in Ukrainian underground storage facilities, whose volume reached 2.5 billion cubic meters last year. Naftogaz is seeking to increase this volume to 4 billion cubic meters in 2024.