Ukraine’s state-owned oil and gas major Naftogaz has signed its first deal with Azerbaijan’s SOCAR to import a small volume of Azeri-origin natural gas via the Transbalkan route, according to a Reuters report.
“For the first time, a test shipment of gas is being delivered through the Transbalkan route along the Bulgaria–Romania–Ukraine corridor,” Naftogaz said in a statement on its website.
The Ukrainian company said the agreement was for a small volume of gas, but did not specify a timeline.
“This is a small volume but strategically important step that paves the way for long-term cooperation,” Naftogaz CEO Serhiy Koretskyi was quoted as saying in the statement.
Ukraine had said in May that its energy regulator had approved a gas import mechanism that would avoid the high transit fees for gas supplied through the Transbalkan pipeline from Greece to Ukraine.
Ukraine has faced a serious gas shortage since a series of devastating Russian missile strikes this year, which significantly reduced domestic gas production.
Ukraine imports gas via Slovakia and Hungary but has not used the southern route because of its higher transit tariffs, as gas from LNG terminals in Greece also passes through Bulgaria, Romania, and Moldova.
Ukrainian analysis firm ExPro earlier this month said that Ukraine had more than 9 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas in its underground storage facilities as of July 17, while it plans to accumulate around 13 bcm for the 2025/26 winter heating season.
It noted that the reserves were 13.9% down compared with the same period last year and were at their lowest in the last 12 years.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
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