Ukraine to increase gas imports by 30% due to Russian strikes

Ukraine will need to increase gas imports by about 30% compared to its previous plan due to large-scale Russian attacks on gas production facilities, Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk said at a press conference on Tuesday.

According to Hrynchuk, Ukraine has sufficient financial resources to cover gas imports in October, November, and December, and "if necessary, in other months as well."

She recalled that Ukraine has secured $500 million in loans from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and $300 million from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to purchase gas — both backed by European Commission guarantees.

"We have just discussed with G7 ambassadors the possibility of expanding these loans, also under the European Commission’s guarantees. In parallel, we are in talks with some countries about providing us with grant-based financing to increase natural gas imports," Hrynchuk said.

The total amount of funding for gas imports has not yet been determined, the minister added. It will depend on the scale of Russian attacks, the extent of damage to Ukraine’s gas transmission and production systems, and the pace of restoration.

Ukraine is negotiating separately with each international partner "to understand who can support us in which part" of gas procurement.

In August, Hrynchuk announced a target of accumulating 13.2 billion cubic meters of gas in storage before the start of the heating season, of which 4.6 bcm was to be imported. On October 1, Naftogaz CEO Serhiy Koretsky said the company had achieved 95–97% of that target.

Ukraine also plans to expand imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Naftogaz has already imported nearly all of the U.S. LNG contracted for this heating season, the company reported earlier.