Nearly 9 months after first announcing its plans to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) into Ukraine, DTEK delivered 160,000 m3 on 17 November.
The cargo, equivalent to approximately 100 million m3 of natural gas or 1 TWh of energy, was delivered through Lithuania’s Klaipeda terminal. After regasification, the gas will be supplied to Ukraine, the Baltics, Poland, and other Eastern European markets.
The cargo was transported on the LNG tanker, Gaslog Houston, from the Plaquemines Parish in Louisiana. According to DTEK, the company purchased the cargo on a free-on-board basis and was responsible for its chartering and navigation from Louisiana to Lithuania.
Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian oil and gas infrastructure have left the country in need of LNG with DTEK estimating 4 Bcm are is needed to get the country through the winter.
“Together with the active support of the US government, US LNG producers are moving rapidly to increase volumes flowing into Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Through expanded public-private cooperation in areas such as financing, infrastructure, and long-term contracts, US LNG will continue to play a decisive role in strengthening Europe’s energy security," said Fred H. Hutchison, President and CEO of LNG Allies, an independent nonprofit trade association that advocates for the US LNG industry.
DTEK said it is negotiating additional US LNG imports into Europe, using two main routes: the Northern Corridor and the Southern “Vertical Gas Corridor,” which moves gas from Greece through Bulgaria, Romania, and Moldova before reaching Ukraine.