Reduced Gas in Ukraine Leaves Chilly Locals Turning to Firewood
Reduction of gas supply has been noted in a number of regions in Ukraine, explained by supplier Naftogaz as being associated with the accumulated debt of consumers.
However, given that the measures were taken during the cold season, it is suspected that the real reason lies in the gas having been deliberately reduced.
“We’re talking about a reduced gas supply, rather than termination,” said Ivan Kapitonov, a senior fellow at the Institute of Economics, Associate Professor. “It can be assumed that the pipes are not frozen as the risk of the pipes bursting would risk multibillion-dollar losses”.
"Clearly, these measures are due to lack of gas, and the debtors in this situation just happened to be non-payers. In the past, the calculation was carefully planned, while today it seems that the truth is a struggle to keep enough gas to last to the end of the winter. That severe frosts would limit gas supplies was already calculated in early autumn,” Kapitonov said.
To fight the cold, Ukrainians are having to turn to firewood, choosing this over the alternative- renewing deals with Russian giant "Gazprom". Coal is not an option- buying supplies from Donbas is impossible, and attempts so far to find an alternative supplier at a reasonable price have failed.
Dmitry Marunich, director of the Institute of Energy Research, in an interview with a Ukrainian TV channel, said that in the cold period after new year, Ukraine has managed to avoid rolling blackouts only because of its coal reserves.
"If the frosts repeat at a temperature below -10 -15 degrees, problems can be expected again in the third week of January. And these problems are likely to affect gas transit to Europe, because, as it has been said, there is a minimum necessary amount of gas in the pipes to fulfill needs," Marunich warned.
At the beginning of the heating season Ukraine, accumulated 14.6 billion cubic meters of gas. However, November gas consumption increased by 17% over the same period in 2015.
Dimitri Dolaberidze