OREANDA-NEWS. May 12, 2016. The increased domestic gas production in Ukraine and the firm policy of energy efficiency will enable us to secure energy independence of Ukraine and overcome abuses in the gas sector. This was stated by Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman while opening a Government meeting.

"Today the time has come when we must root out any infringements in this area and to make Ukraine a truly energy independent country. We should do two things: to maximize gas extraction and the second point is to pursue energy efficiency policy, which will allow Ukraine to develop at the expense of its own energy resources", he said.

Volodymyr Groysman noted that the Government had introduced a single market gas price recently, thus enabling to boost gas production in Ukraine, which was used to be destructed and to be a source of rampant corruption.

The Prime Minister stressed that the single price for gas was being formed in accordance with its price in the European market, "instead of under a contract, in which one could fix any price by hand and offer it to people to pay".

The Prime Minister also noted that this decision would be criticized by those, "who have for decades been engaged in gas schemes and had billion-dollar benefits from various schemes". Over the independence years in Ukraine the sum worth 53 billion dollars has been transferred to compensate difference in tariffs, the Prime Minister accentuated.

"Henceforward we have a bunch of people who possess enormous, huge resources and funds, including those who were connected with gas deals, various schemes, monopolies supplying gas to Ukraine. Thereby, they in synergy were destroying gas production in Ukraine", he noted.