The situation with natural gas in Ukraine is challenging due to Russian shelling, but it is not critical and is fully under control, reported the head of the "Naftogaz" group, Roman Chumak, during a meeting with the leadership of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission in Ukraine, led by Gavin Gray.
"We have complete control over the situation. Yes, it is challenging, but not critical. "Naftogaz" is importing gas in volumes necessary to balance the system and meet the needs of all consumer groups," Chumak stated, as quoted in a message on the group's website.
According to him, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the facilities of the "Naftogaz" group have been subjected to 15 missile and drone attacks, resulting in significant damage to its production capacities. However, Chumak assured that the group is doing everything possible to continue operations and supply gas to consumers.
He expressed gratitude to the IMF representatives for the open dialogue and support, as well as hope for enhanced cooperation to ensure Ukraine's energy resilience.
The message notes that the meeting also included the deputy head of the IMF mission, Trevor Lessard, the IMF resident representative in Ukraine, Priscilla Tofano, the deputy executive director of the IMF from Ukraine, Vladyslav Rashkovan, and senior economist of the mission, Heiko Hesse.
As reported, in a quick interview with "Interfax-Ukraine" in early February, the head of the Ministry of Energy, Herman Halushchenko, noted that Ukraine would need to import at least 1 billion cubic meters of gas by the end of the year. According to him, in addition to its own resources, NJSC "Naftogaz of Ukraine" has open credit lines, including a EUR 200 million line from the EBRD. He also indicated that there could be grant funds and gas supplies under a grant.
In a comment to "Energy Reform" on February 20, the head of the energy committee of the Verkhovna Rada, Andriy Gerus, noted that "gas will need to be imported to replace what is lost due to shelling of production." He confirmed that the need for gas imports arose primarily due to shelling that could not be predicted. Gerus suggested that the "Naftogaz" group currently has the funds for imports, but they may need to attract external resources to purchase gas in the spring in preparation for the next heating season. He also advocated for the decentralization of "everything that can be decentralized" within the gas infrastructure.