Ukraine Imports Over 4.6 Billion Cubic Meters of Gas for the 2025/26 Heating Season

With the start of the 2025/26 heating season, Ukraine has successfully imported over 4.6 billion cubic meters of gas, a crucial move for maintaining the stability of the nation's energy system. This announcement was made by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Denis Shmyhal, who emphasized that Ukraine began the season with gas reserves totaling 13.2 billion cubic meters.

Shmyhal pointed out that despite numerous attempts by Russia to undermine the Ukrainian energy system, the country managed to successfully complete the previous heating season. This achievement was made possible through the accumulation of sufficient resources, which ensured stable energy supplies. The minister shared this information on his Telegram channel on Saturday, summarizing the outcomes of the winter headquarters meeting focused on addressing the consequences of emergencies in the energy sector.

The head of the Ministry of Energy also reminded that the capacity of the Trans-Balkan corridor has been increased to 4.2 billion cubic meters of gas per year, significantly enhancing import capabilities. This decision represents a vital step in strengthening the country's energy security.

In 2025, gas production in Ukraine reached 16.97 billion cubic meters, which is 2.4 billion cubic meters more than planned. The private sector demonstrated an impressive growth of over 14%, indicating positive changes in the gas extraction industry.

Shmyhal further reported that all nine energy blocks of nuclear power plants were operational, with a total installed capacity of 7835 MW. Thanks to a record-high maximum electricity import capacity of 2450 MW, approximately 3.6 billion kWh of electricity was imported from December to February.

Throughout the winter period, Ukraine maintained sufficient coal reserves, accumulating 2.4 million tons, exceeding the plan by 0.8 million tons. These reserves became an essential resource for the country's energy stability amid challenges posed by the ongoing war.

However, Shmyhal did not specify the gas and coal reserves with which Ukraine exited the heating season, leaving questions about the government's future actions in this area.

According to former Energy Minister Olga Buslavets, since mid-March of this year, gas extraction in underground gas storage facilities (UGS) shifted to a slight injection, averaging about 2 million cubic meters per day. By the end of March, the level of natural gas reserves in Ukraine's UGS reached 9.6 billion cubic meters, which is 4.0 billion cubic meters more than in the same period last year.

Gas production in 2024 is projected by the specialized publication ExPro to reach 19.12 billion cubic meters, indicating a potential further increase in domestic gas production and a decrease in reliance on imports.