Ukraine is planning to conduct a stress test to check the operation of the Ukrainian gas transportation system (GTS) in the conditions of war. This was reported by the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, UNN reports.
Details
At the initiative of the Ministry of Energy, the Ukrainian GTS Operator and Naftogaz Group company Ukrtransgaz are preparing for a stress test in 2024. The goal is to confirm the sufficient capacity and reliability of the GTS and UGS facilities in the face of shelling and the termination of Russian gas transit
The stress test will identify a number of possible crisis scenarios and assess the risks of potential physical damage to the infrastructure that could affect the ability to transport natural gas from Ukrainian UGS facilities to the EU.
The preparation and conduct of the stress test involves four stages. The results will be made public in the second half of April, at the beginning of the injection season.
The Ministry of Energy emphasizes that the stress test of the gas infrastructure in 2024 will be modeled and implemented by a working group consisting of and with the assistance of USAID - Energy Security Project, the Energy Community Secretariat, the European Commission's Joint Research Centre Directorate-General, international technical experts and GTSOU, Naftogaz of Ukraine and Ukrtransgaz, respectively.
Addendum
Earlier , the Minister of Energy of Ukraine Herman Halushchenko already stated that it was the stress test of the Ukrainian GTS and UGS 2023 that proved to partners that the gas transportation system can operate under military challenges and with zero transit
Another important factor was the certification of gas storage facilities according to European standards.
As a result, in 2023, traders' interest in using the Ukrainian GTS and UGS facilities increased significantly: during the year, the total volume of gas pumped into Ukrainian UGS facilities exceeded the figures for 2022 by 4 times.
Recall
European traders have managed to earn about $320 million by storing gas in Ukraine's underground gas storage facilities.