/Reuters Agency
The Ukrainian energy company DTEK has imported its first shipment of US liquefied natural gas (LNG) through the Klaipeda import terminal in Lithuania, in an effort to strengthen the energy security of Ukraine and other Eastern European countries.
DTEK’s trading division brought the energy product from the Plaquemines plant in Louisiana on board the ship GasLog Houston, delivering the equivalent of approximately 100 million cubic meters or 1 terawatt hour (TWh) of natural gas, according to the company.
The plan is to deliver the gas to Ukraine, the Baltic countries, Poland and other Eastern European markets, according to the private company.
Ukraine alone needs to import around 4 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas this winter, following Russian attacks on its gas production and storage infrastructure, the company estimated.
Russia intensified attacks on the Ukrainian gas sector in October, depriving the country of at least half of its domestic gas production.
DTEK also stated that it is negotiating the import of more US shipments through Lithuania and Greece, at a time when Europe is seeking to phase out Russian gas supply by the end of 2027.
“From terminals in the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean, we are working with European and American partners to develop cost-effective routes to bring more gas to Ukraine and neighboring countries,” said Maxim Timchenko, CEO of DTEK.
DTEK delivered a similarly sized shipment in December 2024 through the Revithoussa terminal in Greece.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy recently announced the import of US LNG via Greece for this winter, in an agreement involving the Greek gas company DEPA and the Ukrainian state energy company Naftogaz.
