Ukraine is facing the necessity of additional gas imports to get through the winter period due to recent massive strikes by Russian forces on its energy infrastructure. According to Volodymyr Omelchenko, director of energy programs at the Razumkov Center, domestic gas supplies may be insufficient, which means that an additional 4 billion cubic meters of fuel will need to be purchased over the winter.
This is reported by Finway
Massive Russian Attacks on Energy Facilities
Over the past week, the Russian Federation has launched large-scale strikes on Ukraine’s gas infrastructure three times. In particular, on the night of October 15, one of the thermal power plants of Naftogaz of Ukraine was attacked, as reported by the company’s head, Serhiy Koretsky, on Facebook. Additionally, according to him, the shelling targeted gas extraction facilities in the Kharkiv region, as well as infrastructure in Sumy and Chernihiv regions.
“The enemy struck gas extraction facilities in Kharkiv region. Previously, the enemy had been targeting gas infrastructure in Sumy and Chernihiv regions,” noted the head of the state company.
Expert Volodymyr Omelchenko explains that the targeted attacks by Russia aim to complicate heating supply for major cities, as gas remains the primary energy source for heating systems.
Gas Imports and Alternative Options
According to Omelchenko, the only way to ensure a stable heating season is to strengthen the protection of energy facilities and increase imports of “blue fuel.” However, for this, Ukraine needs additional air defense systems to effectively protect its energy infrastructure from new attacks, the expert stated.
In response to a question about the volume of necessary imports, Omelchenko noted that approximately 2 billion euros would need to be found to purchase around 4 billion cubic meters of gas. An alternative to gas could be the use of fuel oil at thermal power plants, but complications arise due to the decline of the relevant infrastructure and its dismantling at many stations.
According to the expert, it is desirable to have “tens, if not hundreds of thousands of tons” of fuel oil in reserve, but the real possibilities for its use are currently in question.
Regarding the timelines for restoring the operation of damaged gas extraction facilities, Omelchenko notes that this depends on the level of destruction: some can be repaired in a few days or weeks, while others may take months due to waiting for new equipment.