Kiev. February 18. ENERGOREFORMA - Former head of "Naftogaz" Andrey Kobolev believes that the only source for overcoming the gas deficit in the short term is its import, while in the long term, Ukraine should focus on creating an extensive network of small booster compressor stations (BCS) instead of large ones, which are significantly affected by Russian strikes that reduce resource extraction.
"We are facing the risk of a gas deficit. In other words, a gas blackout (...). The only way to rectify the situation in the short term is through imports from Europe. This is already happening and it could completely save us (...). What should we do next? Create a system of small-sized and geographically distributed BCS similar to distributed generation," he wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.
Kobolev explained that since February 1, the most challenging month for gas workers due to dwindling fuel supplies and cold weather, Russia has begun to strike "at the bottlenecks of our gas production - BCS that supply gas from old and heavily depleted fields to the gas transmission system (GTS)."
According to him, the result of these shellings has led to a significant drop in daily production volumes, which threatens a gas blackout. He noted that recovery will be considerably more difficult after such an event compared to electricity.
Kobolev also pointed out the irrelevance of the discussion regarding why "Naftogaz" did not import gas earlier, emphasizing the need for the government to focus all efforts on maximizing gas imports as quickly as possible.
At the same time, he indicated that the main uncertainty for Ukraine remains not the weather or gas prices, but the unpredictable actions of the Kremlin.
"It is important to understand that the lack of reserves is a direct invitation for our enemy to strike specifically at underground storage facilities. Therefore, the main conclusion for the next six months is to prepare the underground storage in the summer and purchase gas in advance for import," Kobolev summarized.
As reported, in an interview with "Interfax-Ukraine" in early February, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko noted that Ukraine would need to import at least 1 billion cubic meters of gas by the end of the year. He also confirmed that Russian attacks on gas infrastructure seriously impact production: "I cannot provide specific figures. It has a serious impact. But all of this has a temporary effect. We understand what needs to be done."
Source: https://www.facebook.com/andriy.kobolyev/posts/pfbid0doNU3ZNT4mucamVQc6YkmiV1rK9xB6vnVoEAbBgceAbiiS9fjvL4zYgepGkaDQZzl