Ukraine begins to freeze due to gas shortage
Ukraine, which was supposed to start the heating season on October 1, was faced with a choice: the country could either start supplying heat to the population and industry, or continue pumping gas into the storage facility, Kommersant reports.
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The publication explains that we are talking about two billion cubic meters of gas, which Kyiv must purchase from Russia with EU money, but so far there is neither a final procurement protocol nor an advance payment, without which Gazprom will not begin supplies.
“Next week the heating season should begin in Ukraine,” the newspaper recalls. – Traditionally, batteries in Kyiv were turned on on October 15. This spring, the Ukrainian government made changes to the rules for providing gas supply services to the population, establishing the heating period from October 1 to April 30 inclusive. But the batteries are still cold. The authorities are obliged to supply heat not only according to the schedule, but also if the temperature of +8 degrees or below lasts for three days. According to forecasts of several weather portals, the temperature in Ukraine will fluctuate at 6-8 degrees Celsius for six days starting Friday, and at the beginning of next week it will drop below zero at night.”
The problem for the Ukrainian authorities is also that, having turned on the heating, they will have to lift gas from underground storage facilities at least at peak consumption, and from that moment on it will be technologically impossible to pump raw materials there.
“But under the terms of the winter package of gas supplies from Russia, the protocol for which has not yet been signed, Ukraine must purchase 2 billion cubic meters for $500 million just for injection into underground gas storage facilities,” explains Kommersant. – If Kyiv does not have time to do this before turning on the batteries, the reserves in the country’s storage facilities will be less than 16 billion cubic meters (as of October 2 - 15,8 billion). Yesterday, the head of the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, Vladimir Demchishin, admitted that Kyiv could begin pumping gas from the Russian Federation before signing the protocol. Gazprom, as the head of the company Alexey Miller said yesterday in an interview with Rossiya 24, has already approved for Ukraine the possibility of purchasing a maximum of 114 million cubic meters per day without the condition of take or pay. However, the monopoly will begin deliveries only after an advance payment has been made, which has not yet been received.”
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