Ukraine transported 22% more Russian gas in the 1st 5 months of this year than in the same period of 2016, state Naftogaz Ukrainy said June 8, 2017. It was also up 64% compared with the same period of 2015.
This years volume also hit the record high for the last 5 years, exceeding the average transit volume for January-May 2013-2016 by nearly 9 bln m3.
Using the original transit fee of $2.70/'000m3/100km, that would mean $1.24 bln of revenue.
Natural gas transmission from Russia through other routes in the same period has remained nearly stable.
With Nord Stream 1 and the planned Nord Stream 2, the bulk of the gas flows from northwest Russia subsea to northeast Germany, with some then heading south to the Czech Republic and Slovakia - thus by-passing Ukraine.
Gazprom however covers the increase and fluctuations of EU demand for Russian gas primarily by using the capacities and flexibility of Ukraine´s Direct Stream, as Ukraine pointedly calls its transit system.
Since the start of the year, Ukraine has shipped 38.26 bln m3 of gas for Gazprom.
This is 6.86 bln m3 more than in 2016, 14.90 bln m3 more than in 2015, 7.71 bln m3 more than in 2014, and 6.09 bln m3 more than in 2013, Naftogaz said.
On peak days in January it transported a little over 300 mln m3/d, which would equate to over 110 bln m3/yr if constant, although deliveries normally fall in summer.
Gazprom also has transit capacity through Belarus and Poland, as well as Nord Stream 1, which has been operating below capacity since February owing to restrictions on the Opal line, briefly lifted for January.
