Gazprom Withdrew Record UGS Gas Amounts in February

Gazprom hit record withdrawal amounts from its underground gas storage (UGS) system last month in response to a severe cold snap. 

The company says it reached record levels of withdrawal in February, peaking at a withdrawal rate of 638.7 million cubic meters of gas on the 2nd of February. This withdrawal made up over a third of Russia's domestic gas use at 33.7 per cent or 37 per cent in the Unified Gas Supply System (UGSS) of Russia. Underground storage accounts for 20 per cent of Russia's gas needs on average in warmer seasons, rising up to 30 per cent in colder weather conditions.

The company said its development of the UGS system in 2011 contributed massively to meeting demand. Gazprom added an additional 1.2 billion cubic metres to its UGS system last year, with the expansion and retrofitting of several UGS facilities, including the Sovkhoznoye, Stepnovskoye, Kasimovskoye, Nevskoye, Kaluzhskoye and Kushchevskoye UGS facilities as well as the Kanchurinsko-Musinsky UGS Complex.

Gazprom said it is continuing to expand on its underground storage capabilities with construction on one of its largest projects, the Bednodemyanovskoye UGS facility, beginning in November of last year. 

Last year also saw Gazprom raise its underground gas levels to an all-time high for the entire domestic gas industry, with 65.2 billion cubic metres held in storage in that year.