International•11 Apr ’24 4:57 PM•Modified on 12 Apr ’24 8:53 PMAuthor: Thijs Baas
Russia has attacked gas storage facilities in western Ukraine, which are also used by Western countries. A representative of a subsidiary of Naftogaz confirmed this to BNR’s Europe reporter Geert Jan Hahn. “There’s so much damage being done now, it’s not as easy to repair as it was in the last two years.”
Russia attacks Western gas storage in Ukraine
4 min 30 secRussia attacks gas storage in western Ukraine, which is also used by Western countries. This is confirmed by a representative of a subsidiary of Naftogaz. (ANP / Anadolu)
The gas storage is also used by Western countries, gas trader Willem Coppoolse from energy company ERU confirmed to Hahn. The gas storage above ground consists of little more than a compressor, but there is a lot of gas that Western countries have purchased. ‘That gas is located two kilometers underground and you cannot simply destroy it. But the compressors are under attack, says Hahn. “That can be repaired, but they say they only need two Patriots to secure the Western gas.”
‘It’s all still running at the moment, and that is unimaginable for us non-experts’
Geert Jan Hahn, Europe reporter
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Countries desperately need their own Patriots
The problem is that countries such as Denmark, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic desperately need their Patriots and other anti-aircraft defenses. ‘So it’s difficult to send more to Ukraine. Now when I hear the sounds from Ukraine again, I think we will never be able to meet the demand. The American Raytheon says maybe one Patriot could be produced per month.”
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The Ukrainian power grid is currently still functioning properly, except for parts of Kharkiv. According to Hahn, the fact that the damage is limited is ‘actually unimaginable’, given all the attacks with drones, missiles and hover bombs. ‘Ukraine has a shortage of air defense. A heating plant near Kyiv was attacked and destroyed last night. In that sense, the Russians may have done it smart: there is no air defense at the power stations, which they thought would not be attacked.’
Port of Odesa
No Dutch gas is stored at the gas fields, Coppoolse emphasizes. According to him, it is already the third attack on gas storage in a short period of time, with an attack on two different storage fields last night. But in the meantime, there are five million cities that need to be defended, so that’s how you stay busy, says Hahn. ‘So you have the port of Odesa and now also gas storage. But at the moment everything is still running normally. And that is unimaginable for us non-experts.’
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The attacks on the gas storage facilities are causing a lot of unrest, Coppoolse confirmed to Hahn. Because even though the gas is located two kilometers underground, it does not reduce the concerns. And although there has not yet been irreparable damage, there is busy and anxious telephone traffic between countries. There are still sufficient compressors available in Ukraine, Hahn emphasizes, but it does affect morale and the investment climate.
Kyiv is also less carefree now
Despite the heavy rocket attacks on parts of Ukraine, the situation in Kyiv almost felt like an oasis until last night, according to correspondent Chris Colijn, with three million people just sitting on terraces. But after the attack on the thermal power plant, the situation has changed somewhat, says Hahn. “That oasis feeling has gone away a little bit, even though the attack does not have a major impact on the Ukrainian power grid.”
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Ukraine is currently experiencing many attacks on ‘regular’ power stations, while nuclear power stations remain largely unaffected. ‘They largely function normally, and they are actually the most important for the power supply.’ The main concern is the flexibility of the power supply by the time autumn and winter return. “There is so much damage being done now that it is not as easy to repair as it has been in the past two years.”
2024-04-12 17:59:00
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