OUR Ukraine is experiencing the harshest winter in its modern history, but will be able to meet the government’s goal of accumulating 19 billion cubic meters of natural gas in time, Energy Minister German Gerashchenko assured.

Ukraine stopped importing natural gas from Russia in 2015 and is now getting gas from the rest of Europe, but skyrocketing prices and huge costs since the Russian invasion on February 24th cast doubt on the country’s ability to store such a huge amount of fuel.

“I think we will reach more or less 19 billion,” Galushenko told Reuters, noting that the country needs this reserve to ensure security “in critical situations.”

Natural gas in Ukraine is mainly used for home heating.

The government does not disclose its estimates of household consumption, but Galushenko said he believes the country will have enough fuel to get through the winter.

But he predicted that this winter would be the hardest for Ukraine since it gained independence in 1991. “There is no doubt about that. And not only for Ukraine, but also for Europe. There will be challenges that Europe has never seen before,” he stressed.

The minister declined to say how much gas is still stored, but earlier this month the head of the state energy company Naftogaz, Yuriy Vitrenko, told reporters that the stock had already reached 12 billion cubic meters.

It is not clear where Ukraine will find the remaining 7 billion cubic meters. Usually the season when the central heating starts working starts in mid-October. Ukraine has accumulated about 19 billion cubic meters for the winter of 2020/21.

Gas consumption has decreased by 40% compared to peacetime, while production has decreased by only 5%.

The minister said that Kyiv is also ready if Russia stops gas transit through the territory of Ukraine. “This is one of the scenarios, and we are taking it into account. Of course, we will survive,” he said.

Source: APE-MPE, Reuters.