Ukraine has not purchased natural gas from Russia`s gas monopoly Gazprom for 300 days, according to Ukrtransgaz, the operator of the country`s gas transportation system.
”We have not imported gas from Russia for 300 days,” the company said on its website.
As was earlier reported, Ukraine suspended purchases of natural gas from Russia`s Gazprom in late November 2015.
At this, last year Ukraine doubled its natural gas imports from the European Union to 10.3 billion cubic meters (bcm), as compared to 2014, while reducing imports from Russia by 2.3 times.
In 2015, Ukraine imported 16.4 bcm of gas, which is 15.8% down from 2014, according to the State Statistics Service.
Ukraine stopped taking gas from its underground facilities due to the end of the heating season, and the gas stocks have been replenished since April 7.
On July 21, 2016, Ukrtransgaz CEO Ihor Prokopiv stated that Ukraine intends to pump about 3.3-3.4 bcm of gas into its gas storage facilities (UGSF) in August-September, and increase the stocks to 14-14.5 bcm by the start of the next heating season.
In early September 2016, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine instructed the energy company Naftogaz to prepare and adopt a new schedule for pumping natural gas into Ukraine`s UGSF, according to which the natural gas reserves are to amount to 17 bcm as of November 1, 2016.
On September 21, Deputy Chairman of NJSC Naftogaz`s Board Serhiy Konovets said Ukraine would not be able to accumulate 17 bcm of natural gas by the beginning of the 2016-2017 heating season without carrying out additional gas purchases from Gazprom.
