Naftogaz has accumulated 76% of gas storage target ahead of winter
Naftogaz, Ukraine's state-owned oil and gas company, has accumulated 10 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas reserves for the upcoming winter period, the company said on July 22.
This represents almost 76% of the projected target of 13.2 bcm, which Naftogaz was tasked to accumulate by Nov. 1.
The figure of 13.2 bcm goes beyond the expected consumption and represents a "safety cushion" for the upcoming months, the company's spokesperson, Vladyslava Smolinska, told the Kyiv Independent.
"The last heating season, Ukraine used 6.7 bcm of gas," Smolinska added.
Naftogaz CEO Oleksiy Chernyshov said in March that Ukraine went through the winter of 2023-2024 using only its own gas for the first time in history.
Despite Russian attacks against energy infrastructure during the spring, which included strikes against Naftogaz storage facilities, the company continued to accumulate supplies for the upcoming winter season.
In the first half of 2024, Ukraine's largest gas producer, Ukrgasvydobuvannya, pumped 8.8% more gas than in the same period last year, the company announced on July 16.
Naftogaz Group companies, which include Ukrgasvydobuvannya, increased gas production by 8% over the first six months of 2024 compared to the same period last year.
