BRUSSELS, June 16./ITAR-TASS/. The EU is ready to boost reverse-flow gas supplies to Ukraine from Slovakia by 150% to 8 billion cubic meters a year, the press-secretary of EU Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger, Sabina Berger said on Monday.

Reverse supplies of Russia’s natural gas to Ukraine from Slovakia were initially agreed at 3.2 billion cubic meters under a contract concluded between Ukraine’s national oil and gas company Naftogaz and Slovakia’s Eustream.

Ukraine annually consumes over 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas while its own gas production accounts for less than a half of this amount. Considering the expanded reverse gas flows, Ukraine will still be about 40% short of its requirements for natural gas.

Reverse gas supplies from Europe will allow Ukraine to make up for about a half of imports from Russia. Reverse gas supplies can be organized only through local pipes and cannot be carried out via the Russian trunk gas pipelines to Europe.

Ukraine and an unnamed European company signed a contract on May 14 on reverse supplies of 5 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Hungary and on May 15 Ukraine and Germany’s RWE agreed on reverse supplies of 1.5 billion cubic meters  from Poland. Taking into account Slovakia’s gas flows, reverse gas supplies to Ukraine will amount to 14.5 billion cubic meters a year.