Ukraine hopes to store about 4 billion cubic meters of gas for foreign companies and traders this winter, 60% more than last year, despite Russian air strikes on the country's energy infrastructure, Oleksiy Chernyshov, chairman of the board of Naftogaz of Ukraine, told Reuters in an interview, UNN reports.
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Chernyshov told Reuters that since March, Russia has attacked the company's infrastructure five times, the first such attacks since the start of the war in February 2022.
According to him, "the underground storage facility was not damaged, but Naftogaz is working to strengthen its protection," the newspaper writes.
Chernyshov said that "in recent days, foreign traders have resumed pumping gas into the storage facility." According to him, the volumes are still small, but he expects them to increase later this year, closer to the heating season.
He did not name the volume of gas stored or the names of those who store it.
"We are going through a period of meetings of European suppliers, where we agree on the volume of gas injection. They (the Russians) are trying to discredit us as an energy hub with storage capacities," Chernyshov said.
Chernyshov said that the company has about 100 contracts with foreign traders for gas storage.
The publication points out that Russia continues to supply gas to Europe through Ukraine under a transit agreement that expires in December. Ukraine has said it has no plans to extend it.