Ukraine, Europe to withstand battle for heating season – PM Shmyhal

The European Union has been preparing for this heating season, filling gas storage facilities and cutting energy expenditures. Meanwhile, Ukraine has created bigger coal and gas reserves than usually.

The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in a conversation with journalists in Brussels, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

According to Shmyhal, all the meetings show that EU countries have been making preparations for a challenging heating season this year, both politically and technically.

“Their storage facilities are full. They are ready to go through this winter; they are preparing the society. They are giving political messages,” Shmyhal told.

In his words, European government officials are cutting gas and other energy resource expenditures, as they understand this year and this heating season will take place amid the war in the European energy market, unleashed by Russia.

“Hence, we realize that Ukraine, together with Europe, will be passing through this heating season in a challenging but rather confident manner. We have created some gas reserves too. Bigger volumes than usually. We have accumulated huge coal reserves, much bigger than usually,” Shmyhal noted.

In addition, the Ukrainian government is preparing and buying mobile equipment to immediately respond to military risks, i.e. quickly repair the country’s energy infrastructure facilities in case they get damaged.

“Hence, I am confident we, both Ukraine and Europe, will withstand the battle for this heating season. I would call it so,” Shmyhal added.

A reminder that earlier Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal stated the country had accumulated about 13 billion cubic meters of natural gas and more than 2 million tonnes of coal.

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