Ukraine stores 13 bcm of gas, below Energy Ministry target

MOSCOW. Oct 6 (Interfax) - Ukraine's underground storage facilities contained 13 billion cubic meters of natural gas, including 4.7 bcm of long-term buffer stocks and 0.1 bcm stored on behalf of nonresidents, as of the end of last week, Ukrainian media quoted Olga Buslavets, former energy minister, as saying on social networks.

"Average daily gas consumption in the past week rose to 30-35 million cubic meters which, according to AGSI [the European Aggregated Gas Storage Inventory platform] resulted in a drop in volumes pumped into storage," she said. Average daily gas injection fell from 50 mcm in September to 35-40 mcm last week.

According to data from Ukraine's Gas Transmission System Operator (GTSOU), net gas imports have been around 20-21 mcm per day since the beginning of October, not including short-haul transit. The gas is being imported from Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

According to data from European platforms, underground storage facilities in Europe are 83% full, with gas stocks rising to 89.2 bcm or 7% below the five-year average and 13% or 13 bcm less than a year ago.

The Ukrainian Energy Ministry plans to store 13.2 bcm of gas or 8.6 bcm excluding buffer gas by November 1. The former GTSOU head, Sergei Makogon, has said this will not be enough and that another 1.5 bcm will need to be imported in the winter.