Ukraine boosts up gas imports from Slovakia

Ukraine has upped its requests for reverse flow gas by 34.6% - to 23.833 mcm - from the 1st of July when Ukraine suspended all gas purchases from Russia, according to NewEuropeInvestor citing data from Slovakian GTS operator Eustream.

According to Eustream, the daily volume of gas delivered to Ukraine was 14 mcm as of early July, which was two times less than in June.

Ukraine has also suspended gas imports from Hungary from July 01. According to the Hungary-based FGSZ, deliveries to Ukraine have not been renewed as of July 21.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Naftogaz expected a $300 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in September-October 2015 to support arranging gas supplies from the European Union for the next heating season.

Chief of Naftogaz of Ukraine NJSC Andriy Kobolev previously stated that Ukraine needed about $1.5 billion to secure necessary gas reserves in its underground gas storage facilities for the next heating season.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is considering the allocation of a EUR 300 million loan to traders to buy and store natural gas in the underground storage facilities, and then sell it on the Ukrainian market, said Ukrainian Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn on Thursday, July 16.

Last year, the EU brokered talks resulting in the last minute ‘winter package’ secured the Ukraine’s supply. In the run up to the agreement, the country was depending on Slovakia, Hungary and Poland for re exported gas, something Gazprom has been hugely unhappy about, according to NewEuropeInvestor.