The EU is obliged to take upon their own shoulders part of the cost of filling the underground storage of natural gas in Ukraine to prepare for the worst scenario that can happen in the winter of next year, said in an interview to the edition, the Minister of energy and coal industry of Ukraine Volodymyr Demchyshyn.

"The members of the Commission are developing worst-case scenarios provisions. They put all expenses on us. We are prepared to commit in the baseline scenario and to pay for it.(The price of) the worst-case scenario may be, it will be necessary to divide, " said Demchyshyn. According to the Minister, the worst scenario situation incorporates a long-term suspension of gas supplies from Russia, low temperatures in winter, And the recovery of industrial activity in the EU.

As said in Thursday's Vice-President of the Commission on energenius Maros Sefcovic, before the next winter period in Ukrainian storages need to accumulate about 20 billion cubic meters of gas, the purchase of which must begin in April. With his hand Demchyshyn suggested that 14-15 billion cubic meters of gas will be sufficient.

at the end of February, the Russian energy Minister Alexander Novak said that the Russian Federation considers a high risk of selection Ukraine gas transit, As in its underground storage only 2-3 billion cubic meters of active gas.

Novak recalled that 5-6 billion cubic meters of 8 billion cubic meters, is the so-called buffer gas, which must continuously be in UGS - it cannot be used.

Ukraine since October 20 last year started off gas from the storage facilities in connection with the beginning of the heating season. Gas supplies from Russia, discontinued since mid-June because of the billions of dollars of debt Kiev resumed on 9 December, after receiving Gazprom pre-payment. And on February 24, the operator of the Ukrainian GTS "Ukrtransgaz" was the weakest since the beginning of the heating season daily selection from the vaults - 7, 3 million cubic meters. Next was recorded As an increase or a decrease in gas reserves.

sections: Politics