Slovakia Gas TSO Offers More Flow East

Slovakia's gas transmission system operator (TSO) Eustream is offering capacity for the third quarter of this year (July 1-October 1), it said in a brief statement June 29. It will allow more gas to flow into Ukraine, and suggests relations with Ukraine have stabilised after a disagreement over the timing of Ukraine's pipeline maintenance operations.

"In reaction to the recently announced maintenance of Ukraine's TSO, with respect to Ukraine entry capacities from Budince entry/exit point and in line with our previous statements, Eustream decided to offer capacity at exit point Velke Kapusany. Capacity will be offered for the time period from July 1 2020 to October 1 2020, in the amount of 60mn m³/d. Please note that capacity at exit point Velke Kapusany is fully interruptible and dependent on the physical flow from Ukraine to Slovakia."

This is more than is available from the firm entry point at Budince, through which flows will have to cease in early August while the Ukrainian TSO carries out urgent work on the line on its side of the border. Capacity there was fully booked, prompting Eustream to offer interruptible capacity at Velke Kapusany instead, as well as interruptible capacity at Budince.