The Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine (GTSOU) and the Slovak operator Eustream agreed to increase the firm capacity for natural gas imports from Slovakia by 15 million cubic metres per day at the Budince point.
As a result of the agreement, the total volume of firm capacity will amount to 42 million cubic metres per day until the end of March 2022.
“The protection of Ukraine’s energy security includes maximizing firm capacities, which do not depend on the availability of transit. This is what the Gas TSO’s team was focused on over the last five months – to create additional opportunities for the guaranteed supply of natural gas to Ukraine”, noted the CEO of GTSOU, Sergiy Makogon.
“We are very grateful for the maximum support we received at the highest political level in solving this issue […]. Owing to this, for the first time, since 2014 we managed to increase Ukraine’s physical gas import capacity. On 1 February 1 physical gas imports from Hungary were launched and on February 4 we temporarily increase firm capacities from Slovakia. In both cases, our colleague-operators do not place any additional requirements or obligations for the Ukrainian side”, added Makgon, concluding that they “are sure that this opportunity will be beneficial for all the participants of the Ukrainian gas market, considering the country’s need for sufficient gas volumes for the households and industrial consumers.”
In 2014, access to 27 million cubic metres at the Budince point (Slovakia) became the first firm capacity agreed upon by Ukraine. The total available capacity (firm and interruptible) for gas imports from Slovakia is 197 million cubic metres per day.
