Ukraine is preparing for the 2026/27 heating season amid rising gas prices and limited supply on the market. The authorities are betting on expensive imported resources, while domestic production is stagnating due to shelling and regulatory restrictions.
After a difficult winter, the country has already begun preparations for the next one, which is likely to be no easier. About 3.7 billion cubic meters of gas were withdrawn from underground storage facilities during the winter. As of now, the volume of active gas in the underground storage facilities is about 4.8 billion cubic meters (or about 9.5 billion including buffer gas).
By the start of the heating season, it is necessary to bring the reserves to about 13 billion cubic meters, which means the need for significant volumes of additional resources.
Last year, gas imports to Ukraine increased by almost an order of magnitude - from about 0.7 billion cubic meters in 2024 to over 6 billion cubic meters. This is the highest figure in recent years. In 2026, imports may become more difficult: the supply on the market is limited, and prices are rising against the backdrop of the aggravation of the situation around Iran.
There is some movement in the search for solutions. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the day before about negotiations on the possible import of gas from Mozambique.
At the same time, in a situation where the country is forced to look for gas in distant markets at high prices, part of its own resource remains unavailable. Experts emphasize that the potential for domestic production remains, but part of it is actually not used.
This concerns, in particular, the fields in the Poltava and Kharkiv Regions, which have already been developed, but are now idle due to problems with licenses. As noted by economist and financial analyst Oleksii Kushch, an example is the Ukrainian assets of the British Enwell Energy, which previously declared its readiness to provide additional volumes of gas provided that production is unblocked.
The authorities must decide in the near future how to solve the problem - winter is closer than it seems.
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