The SSO of Ukraine is approaching the heating season with 18.7 bcm gas in the UGSs

Ukraine is approaching the start of the heating season with volumes of gas in underground storage facilities sufficient for a stable winter. As of October 1, 2021, the Storage System Operator of Ukraine has already accumulated 18.7 bcm of gas in underground storage facilities. For comparison, the average filling level of UGSs at the beginning of the heating seasons from 2011 to 2019 reached 17.9 bcm, and the minimum fell to 14.5 bcm in 2016.

Currently, the Storage System Operator continues to inject gas into the underground storage facilities. The duration of the injection period in October will depend on weather conditions and air temperature in Ukraine.

Natural gas reserve in UGS

As of the beginning of October, the natural gas reserve in Ukrainian underground storage facilities was 18.7 bcm*. This is 2% higher than the average on this date in 2015-2020, even taking into account the fact that last year was a record for the decade in terms of the level of created stocks (28.3 bcm).

Gas injection to the UGS

In September 2021, Ukraine's underground gas storage facilities received 0.7 bcm of natural gas. This is 3.4 times less than in September 2020.

In total, 3.6 bcm have been injected into the UGSs since the beginning of this year's injection season.

Use of "Customs Warehouse" and "short-haul" services

As of October 1, 2021, foreign traders stored 2.8 bcm of gas in the Customs Warehouse regime. This is 3.5 times less than at the same time last year. This includes 2.3 bcm accumulated in the short-haul regime.

Resident companies store 0.8 bcm of gas in the Customs Warehouse regime, which is 1.7 times less than the same period in 2020. This includes 0.7 bcm accumulated in the short-haul regime.

"We are reaching the start of the heating season in Ukraine, and now the filling level of UGS gives us reason to expect stable work in the next six months. Despite the difficult situation on the international gas market, we have significantly exceeded the Government's task of filling gas storage facilities and we still do not stop the injection. Already now the level of underground storages is higher than at the beginning of the heating seasons in 2013-2018. So we are ready for winter: Ukraine will have gas", – noted Sergiy Pereloma, acting general director of Ukrtransgaz JSC. 

* not including the reserves of Vergunske UGS, located on temporarily occupied territory;

** «Customs warehouse» is a custom regime, which allows the client to save natural gas in storage facilities of Ukraine up to 1095 days without paying taxes and customs duties;

*** «Short haul» is a service that gives the opportunity to receive a discount on transportation between certain points of entry or exit on inter-state connections (power with restrictions), including for further storage of natural gas in Ukrainian UGS.