Ukraine’s state gas transit operator on Wednesday proposed reversing gas flows through the Trans-Balkan pipeline, which would allow gas to be pumped from the Balkans to Central and Eastern European countries through Ukraine.
The pipeline passes through the territory of Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey and supplied Russian gas to the Balkans before the TurkStream pipeline was launched.
Ukraine’s gas transit operator (GTSOU) said in a statement on Wednesday that it was proposing the creation of guaranteed “reverse mode” capacity along the entire route.
The pipeline has already been partially operating in reverse mode with more than 0.5 billion cubic metres of natural gas pumped in 2023, the operator added.
An assessment conducted together with Romanian and Moldovan gas operators showed 20 million cubic metres of daily demand for gas transportation via the route to Ukraine’s underground storage, the operator said.
“The Trans-Balkan route can meet the demand of customers who plan on transporting gas from the Balkan direction to consumers in Eastern and Central Europe,” GTSOU head Dmytro Lyppa was quoted as saying on the company’s website.
He added that the proposed change would create new ways to send gas to storage in Ukraine.