Ukraine has shifted from gas shortages to a surplus and plans to boost exports to Europe this winter, DTEK CEO Maxim Timchenko says. The company will still buy LNG as needed but intends to use large, rear-area gas storage facilities to trade with European markets. Significant grid repairs (about €300 million) and anti-drone measures improve resilience, but coal shortages and increasingly powerful Russian drones mean the risk of winter power and heating outages persists.
Ukraine Arrives In Winter With Gas Surplus, Seeks Exports As Drone Threats Raise Blackout Risks
Ukraine is going into winter with a gas surplus, despite war
Despite targeted Russian strikes on gas production sites, Ukraine has moved from shortages to a gas surplus and is positioning to increase exports to Europe this winter, according to Maxim Timchenko, CEO of DTEK, the country's largest private energy company.
After years of scrambling for supplies — including several LNG cargoes from the United States — the situation has "dramatically changed," Timchenko told journalists. DTEK will continue to procure LNG when needed but plans to leverage Ukraine's extensive, rear-area gas storage facilities to conduct arbitrage trades with European markets.
However, not all energy sectors are improving. Coal supplies, the main fuel for many thermal power plants, remain constrained after Russian attacks on mines and supply routes, pushing coal into deficit and complicating winter fuel planning.
Grid Repairs, Defenses, and Remaining Risks
Ukraine has invested roughly €300 million in reconstructing its power grid over recent years and is reinforcing anti-drone protections around substations. Those repairs and defenses improve the chances of avoiding widespread outages.
"We learned a lot in the last winter. Unfortunately, as much as we are better prepared, Russians have more tools to destroy our preparations,"
— Maxim Timchenko, CEO, DTEK
Timchenko cautioned that as Russia fields more powerful drones and continues attacks on energy infrastructure, Ukrainians should still be prepared for the possibility of power and heating cuts. In short, gas availability has improved materially, but coal shortages and a growing drone threat leave risks for this winter's energy security.
Key facts: gas surplus and export plans; continued LNG procurement; use of large, secure gas storage for arbitrage; coal deficits after attacks; ~€300 million in grid reconstruction; strengthened anti-drone measures; heightened drone-driven blackout risk.
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