RWE used the customs warehouse gas storage service in Ukraine for the first time in July, while prior to this the German gas trader was only able to sell gas at the country's western border, Ukrtransgaz, which operates the Ukrainian gas transportation system (GTS) underground gas storage (UGS) facilities, said in a press release.
Negotiations on the possibility of using Ukrainian underground storage facilities with the leading European trader had taken several years.
"RWE accomplished gas import and export operations to Ukraine including the utilization of gas storage facilities of Ukraine. Before that RWE traded mainly at the border of Ukraine and now can also utilize the Ukrainian gas storages," RWE representative Dietrich Hoffmann was quoted as saying.
"We have worked long hours to win the trust of suppliers and are pleased with the results achieved. Leading European traders are already actively cooperating with the GTS and UGS operator on transparent and competitive terms based on European legislation. We will continue to develop services for our customers. And another step that will make Ukrainian gas storage facilities even more in demand for European players is the introduction of short-haul services," Bohdan Maksymchuk, the head of the SSO (System Storage Operator) Branch of Ukrtransgaz, said.
Ukrtransgaz launched its Gas Storage Facilities Operator subsidiary's information platform on August 1 to measure the transfer of gas to and from UGS facilities.
