KYIV: Ukraine has resumed gas imports from a pipeline that runs across the Balkan peninsula to Greece, to keep its heating and electric systems running through the winter after widespread damage from intensified Russian attacks.
Russia intensified strikes on Ukraine’s gas sector in October, depriving Ukraine of at least half of its own gas production, forcing it to import an additional 4 billion cubic meters of gas to compensate for the decline.
Data from the Ukrainian gas transit operator showed on Wednesday that Ukraine will receive 1.1 million cubic meters (mcm) of gas from the Transbalkan route on Wednesday, after the import of 0.78 mcm on Tuesday. The route links Ukraine to LNG terminals in Greece, via Moldova, Romania and Bulgaria.
Ukrainian energy consultancy ExPro said last month that Greek DEPA Commercial, D.Trading — a subsidiary of Ukraine’s largest private energy firm DTEK — and Swiss Axpo Trading had booked capacity to import gas from Greece to Ukraine with a daily amount of 0.6 million cubic meters.
Ukraine also imports about 23 mcm of gas daily, including nearly 10 mcm from Hungary, about 8 mcm from Poland and about 5 mcm from Slovakia.
The Transbalkan route was not used in September and October, and prior to that operated only in July and August.
The pipeline was not in demand due to the high cost of gas transit across the four countries and via Ukraine. However, tariff reductions by Moldovan and Romanian operators had helped boost the booking of capacities in November, ExPro said.
LONG RECOVERY
High pressure must be maintained in gas pipelines, and import via the Transbalkan route is one of the elements that helps the Ukrainian system remain operational when domestic production can no longer pump enough gas into the pipes.
Oleksandr Kharchenko, director of the Kyiv-based Center of Energy Studies, said Russian attacks had damaged a significant number of gas compressors, complicating the restoration of the power system.
“We will not restore 30 percent to 40 percent (of destroyed capacity) during the heating season because the compressor stations have been destroyed,” Kharchenko told a televised briefing.
Compressors for the gas system are expensive at the best of times and unavailable worldwide now because of huge demand, he said.
“(Gas) production has been affected, and restoring the compressors is not a matter of months. Restoring production will take 15-18 months,” Kharchenko added.
