The Ukrainian gas market received an additional opportunity to import gas from Slovakia – the firm capacity at the Budince point was increased from 27 million cubic meters per day up to 42 million cubic meters per day.

Gas TSO of Ukraine and the Slovak operator Eustream a.s. agreed to increase the firm capacity for natural gas imports from Slovakia by 15 million cubic meters per day at the Budince point. Thus, the total volume of firm capacity from February 4 to March 31, 2022 will amount to 42 million cubic meters per day.

New firm capacities will be distributed through auctions on the platform: for February through daily auctions, and for March through daily and monthly auctions. Booking of new capacities will be made at the current tariffs.

CEO of GTSOU Sergiy Makogon said: “The protection of Ukraine’s energy security includes maximizing firm capacities, which do not depend on the availability of transit. This is what the Gas TSO’s team was focused on over the last five months – to create additional opportunities for the guaranteed supply of natural gas to Ukraine. We are very grateful for the maximum support we received at the highest political level in solving this issue. I would like to extend my thanks to President of Ukraine  and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who personally joined the negotiations with the Slovak side. Owing to this, for the first time, since 2014 we managed to increase Ukraine’s physical gas import capacity – on February 1 physical gas imports from Hungary were launched, and on February 4 we temporarily increase firm capacities from Slovakia. In both cases, our colleagues-operators do not place any additional requirements or obligations for the Ukrainian side. We are sure that this opportunity will be beneficial for all the participants of the Ukrainian gas market, considering the country’s needs in sufficient gas volumes for the households and industrial consumers.

 In 2014, access to 27 million cubic meters at the Budince point (Slovakia) became the first firm capacity agreed upon by Ukraine. From March 1, 2020, the Operators launched a virtual reverse through the point Velke Kapusany – Uzhhorod. The total available capacity (firm and interruptible) for gas imports from Slovakia is 197 million cubic meters per day.