Reverse gas flow

1. https://neftegaz.ru/en/news/Transportation-and-storage/531552-ukraine-and-slovakia-launched-virtual-gas-reverse-flow/

   
   

Kiev, March 2 - Neftegaz.RU. According to Ukrainian UNIAN, CEO of Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine (GTSOU) Serhiy Makogon says the company launched a virtual natural gas reverse flow from Slovakia on March 1, 2020, which was earlier impossible under the previous gas transit contract with Russia's Gazprom.

"A virtual gas reverse flow will start operating on the Ukraine-Slovakia border on March 1. We have been seeking and striving toward this for almost 5 years," he wrote on Facebook on February 28.

Due to Gazprom, which was trying to limit Ukraine's ability to import gas from the EU, the country in 2014 could not import gas via a virtual reverse system, the official said. Thus, Ukraine had to build a new interconnector, namely the Vojany-Uzhgorod pipeline, to start gas supplies from Slovakia, which allowed it to withstand and avoid total dependence on Gazprom.

"We needed to sign a direct agreement with the Slovak GTS operator and achieve the realization of this opportunity [a virtual natural gas reverse flow] under the agreement. Relevant changes have been made to Ukrainian legislation. We thank the [National Energy and Utilities Regulation Commission] NEURC for their support! Amendments to the Customs Code have been made as well. But most importantly, we managed to remove Gazprom from our GMSs [gas measuring stations] on the country's western borders, and now we completely control our relations with European GTS operators," he added.

However, the Slovak GTS operator offers only a virtual gas reverse flow capacity of 10 million cu m per day, while the company is seeking to have the capacity equal the full volume of gas transit from Ukraine to Slovakia. According to Makogon, a virtual natural gas reverse flow from Hungary will also be launched soon. The virtual reverse system significantly expands the possibilities for gas supplies from Ukraine to the EU, which significantly enhances the country's energy security.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine launched a virtual natural gas reverse flow from Poland in late January 2020. Ukraine in 2019 boosted natural gas imports by 34.4%, or by 3.65 billion cu m (bcm), up to 14.25 bcm. In particular, 9.15 bcm of gas was imported via the Slovak gas transport corridor, while 1.4 bcm and 3.67 bcm was shipped from Poland and Hungary, respectively.

2.?https://www.spglobal.com/platts/zh/market-insights/latest-news/natural-gas/022820-ukraine-to-launch-virtual-reverse-of-gas-from-slovakia-on-march-1-naftogaz

Ukraine to launch virtual reverse of gas from Slovakia on March 1: Naftogaz

Kyiv — Ukraine will start imports of gas from Slovakia via virtual reverse, or backhauling, on March 1, the national energy company Naftogaz Ukrayiny said Friday.

Ukrainian gas transmission system operator GTSOU and Eustream, the Slovakian operator, will launch virtual reverse flow at the Velke Kapusany-Uzhgorod interconnection point, a major link for Europe-bound Russian gas supply via Ukraine.

"We have been looking forward to this event for almost five years," Serhiy Makohon, the head of GTSOU, said in a statement.

Eustream will offer capacity of 10 million cu m/d via the virtual reverse flow practice, but the operators may agree to increase the level of virtual reverse flow in case of firm market interest, Naftogaz said.

"The backhaul capacity depends on the availability of the direct flow and therefore it is interruptible and may be interrupted in the event that no gas flows in the direction from Ukraine to Slovakia are available," GTSOU said.

Ukraine is capable of importing physically about 43 million cu m/d from Slovakia through the Vojany-Uzhgorod pipeline (Budince interconnection point), which is the biggest source of gas imports for Ukraine.

Russia's Gazprom for decades opposed backhauling practices, but relented in December 2019 before signing a new five-year gas transit agreement with Ukraine. Gazprom pledged to ship 65 Bcm of gas to Europe via Ukraine in 2020, and 40 Bcm/year in 2021 through 2024.

Interconnection agreement

GTSOU and Eustream signed an interconnection agreement on December 30 last year, paving the way for backhauling.

Replacing European gas imports with Russian gas that is already in Ukraine via backhauling is a cheaper option for Ukraine that will make gas trading more efficient.

Ukraine seeks to be able to use backhauling also because it has used 100% capacity of physical gas importing last year, running at 66.3 million cu m/day in July 2019.

Ukraine will be capable to import up to 300 million cu m/d via backhauling if necessary, according to GTSOU.

Ukraine stopped buying Russian gas directly in November 2015. It started importing gas from Poland via backhauling since January 1 and plans to launch virtual reverse flow from Hungary later this year, according to GTSOU.

Ukraine's imports of gas increased by 34% year on year to 14.2 Bcm in 2019 from 10.6 Bcm in 2018, according to Naftogaz.

It imported 9.1 Bcm of gas from Slovakia, up 40% from 6.5 Bcm imported in 2018. Imports from Hungary rose to 3.7 Bcm from 3.4 Bcm and imports from Poland soared to 1.4 Bcm from 700 million cu m in 2018.

3.?https://tsoua.com/en/news/ukrainian-and-slovak-tsos-are-launching-virtual-reverse-flow/

2020 0228

Ukrainian and Slovak TSOs are launching virtual reverse flow

28-th of February, 2020, Kyiv –?LLC “Gas TSO of Ukraine” and Eustream a.s. are launching virtual reverse flow on IP Velke Kapusany / Uzhgorod starting from 1st of March 2020.

In addition to the transmission capacities at IP Budince by means of which the Ukrainian gas market has been supplied since 2014, Eustream and Gas TSO of Ukraine, based on? the signed interconnection agreement for IP Velke Kapusany / Uzhgorod is launching virtual reverse flow capacities (so called “backhaul”) at IP Velke Kapusany / Uzhgorod to the market,?thus further enhancing Slovak corridor?for gas supplies to Ukraine.

Starting 1st of March?the TSOs are making the following capacities on daily basis available to the market:?10?mcm / d?(104 GWh / d).

The TSOs remind that the backhaul capacity depends on the availability of the forward flow and therefore it is?interruptible?and may be interrupted in case of no flow in direction from Ukraine to Slovakia is available.

The TSOs may agree to increase?the level of virtual reverse flow capacities in case of firm market interest.