Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal has assured that the European country has sufficient gas and coal reserves to face the winter, particularly harsh in Ukraine and even more so after the recent Russian attacks on the national energy infrastructure.
Shmigal has reassured the population by assuring that, to date, Ukraine has accumulated some 14.6 billion cubic meters of gas, mostly of domestic origin; at the same time, he has put at 1.5 million tons of coal in storage, according to Ukrinform.
With regard to coal accumulations, Shmigal said that this ton and a half of reserves is almost double the amount that would be considered optimal to face the winter. «Sufficient resources have been accumulated,» he said.
«The injection of gas into our storages also continues. A relatively mild autumn and savings in energy resources allow us to pump more gas than we withdraw from gas storages,» the head of government has explained.
Therefore, on the basis of these reserves, Shmigal was partly confident that Ukraine could get through the winter without major complications, although he stressed that now «the key challenge» is related to the damage Russia inflicts on the Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
ELECTRICITY SUPPLY Regarding electricity supply, Shmigal acknowledged that the most complicated situation is in the city and region of Kiev, as well as in Kharkov, where Russian troops have increased their offensive against critical infrastructure.
In this section, the Prime Minister pointed out that the authorities are now engaged in the procurement of reserve equipment and the setting up of additional heating systems. Ukraine is negotiating these purchases with international partners.
Shmigal has sent a message of thanks to all those citizens who have adjusted their energy consumption because, he says, this gesture helps to «balance the system» while reducing the chances of blackouts.
