Ukraine starts gas offtake season - Ukrtransgaz

MOSCOW. Nov 9 (Interfax) - Ukraine has officially started the season of natural gas offtake from underground storage facilities, Ukrainian media reported, citing Ukrtransgaz CEO Sergei Pereloma.

So far offtake has begun at one storage facility, which was chosen because it is the most "maneuverable and flexible in regulation of regimes," Pereloma said on social media on Tuesday. "For the period between changes in regimes such characteristics are particularly valuable. We're tapping gas by natural flow - this makes it possible to save gas on technical consumption," he said.

The start of the 2022/2023 gas offtake season is the latest in the past decade thanks to good weather, active injection of gas by nonresidents in October and the general drop in energy consumption in Ukraine, he said.

"We can say that the system successfully made it through the season of injection and is ready to get through the heating season. We understand that we face difficult challenges and the hardest winter in the history of independent Ukraine. However, we are ready to work, as always, and will do everything in our power so that homes, orphanages, hospitals, schools and kindergartens are warm," Pereloma said.