Worldwide News Ukraine: Ukraine Expands Sources of Reverse Gas Supply - Energy Minister

Ukraine continues to diversify the sources of gas import by expanding the routes of reverse supply of gas, said the Minister of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine, Eduard Stavytskyi. So far, Ukraine has been importing gas directly from Russia and through reverse supplies from the EU (through Poland and Hungary). Soon, he said, the Ukrainian government will open two more reverse gas supply routes through Romania and Slovakia.

Having analyzed all gas transportation routes, where switching to reverse mode was possible, Ukraine declared that it could diversify 100 percent of its gas import. The Eastern European country started purchasing gas in the EU in November 2012. On May 15, 2013, it started importing gas from Slovakia in a test mode. The total annual volume of gas that can be delivered through the reverse supplies from Europe to Ukraine can reach over 30 billion cubic meters, reported the energy ministry in July, 2013.

The top priority, however, is to increase the domestic production of gas, stressed Minister Stavytskyi. He recalled that 40 years ago,Ukraine produced more than 70 billion cubic meters of gas per year, which is triple what the country produces today.  MORE