The Ukrainian energy sector can breathe a sigh of relief: NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine assures that it will be able to meet all the needs of electricity generation in gas during the 2024-2025 heating season.
The head of the company, Oleksiy Chernyshov, confirmed that the pace of restoration of thermal power plants and connection of new generating facilities will not create problems with gas supply.
According to him, Naftogaz already knows what volumes of gas it will need to provide, although the exact figures remain confidential. “We have a significant gas reserve to cope with any challenges. We see the pace of connecting new stations and the technical conditions that we issue. This allows us to cover additional needs with ease,” he noted.
Chernyshov also emphasized that the volume of gas that will not be used due to the destruction of the TPP and the shutdown of the units will compensate for the needs of new generation. “The solution to this issue is related to two factors: the volume of gas needed for new generation and the volume that will be released due to the restoration of old units. I am sure that the second parameter will be greater than the first,” the head of Naftogaz noted.
As of July 22, 2024, Ukraine has natural gas reserves in underground storage of 10 billion cubic meters. Since the beginning of the season, which started on April 1, the country has already pumped over 2.5 billion cubic meters of gas. Chernyshov expressed optimism about the implementation of the gas accumulation plan by November 1, which is 13.2 billion cubic meters.
In the last heating season, Ukraine entered with reserves of 16 billion cubic meters and consumed 8.5 billion cubic meters of gas, of which 6.7 billion cubic meters were used.
Currently, the DTEK energy holding company plans to restore 60-70% of the destroyed thermal generation by October 2024, provided there are no new attacks. According to Executive Director Dmytro Sakharuk, this will be possible thanks to the restoration of infrastructure and the absence of new attacks.
Thus, the Ukrainian energy sector has every chance of getting through the winter without serious interruptions in electricity supply, thanks to the efforts of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine and other key players in the industry.
