BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug.18
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
The total volume of natural gas sold by Germany-based Uniper in the first half of 2021 was 1,158.8 billion kWh (prior-year period: 1,137.6 billion kWh), Trend reports with reference to the company.
During the same period, the Uniper Group acquired a total of 1,170.7 billion kWh (prior-year period: 1,170.8 billion kWh). The vast majority of the volumes moved result from transactions on domestic and foreign trading markets, which are carried out to manage the Group’s own gas-fired power plants, to optimize booked natural gas storage or transport capacities, and to commercially exploit regional price differences.
Uniper sells natural gas to resellers (e.g. municipal utilities), large industrial customers and power plant operators through its internal sales unit UES. The volume of gas sold by UES in the first half of 2021 came to 122.4 billion kWh, significantly above the previous year period (109.8 billion kWh). Gas sales volumes increased overall year-on-year due to the signing of new customers and contracts (particularly in the distributor segment), a significantly colder first half of the year compared to previous years, and higher sales volumes to power plants due to the return to commercial operation of the Irsching 4 and 5 gas-fired power plant units in October 2020.
The procurement of natural gas is largely based on long-term contracts with suppliers from Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Russia. For the first half of 2021, Uniper had long-term contracts amounting to 184 billion kWh (prior-year period: 190 billion kWh). Gas Storage Capacity Uniper Energy Storage GmbH is responsible for the operation of gas storage for the Uniper Group. Its activities include technical and commercial development, the construction and operation of underground storage facilities for natural gas, the marketing of capacities, services and products on the European storage market and the development of new storage technologies. Uniper Energy Storage GmbH manages natural gas storage facilities in Germany and Austria. In addition, a British Uniper Group company operates a gas storage facility in the United Kingdom. In the first half of 2021, gas storage capacity stood at 7.4 billion m³, a slight decline of 0.2 billion m³ below the level of the previous year (7.6 billion m³), due primarily to the decommissioning of gas storage capacity.
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