Both Ukraine and France will benefit if French energy companies increase the volume of gas they store in Ukraine’s UGS (underground gas storage) this year, Naftogaz CEO Oleksiy Chernyshov said during meetings with French government and business officials last week (13-14 March).
The Naftogaz CEO held discussions with the management of French energy companies TotalEnergies and ENGIE, France’s Minister Delegate for Industry and Energy Roland Lescure, International Energy Agency (IEA)’s Executive Director Fatih Birol, advisors to the President of France Victoire Vandeville and Bertrand Buchwalter, and Special Envoy of the President of France for Ukraine’s Relief and Reconstruction Pierre Heilbronn.
“We aim to increase the volumes of gas that French companies store in Ukraine’s UGS. This will be beneficial for all parties. As the past winter has shown, it is not only extremely promising from a business standpoint, but also important for regional security and energy stability,” said Mr Chernyshov.
He noted that 80 per cent of Ukraine’s underground storage facilities are located in western Ukraine, far from the front line. Numerous measures have been taken to ensure their protection from potential attacks and war-related damage, Naftogaz noted in a press release.
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