OREANDA-NEWS. May 20, 2009. In the year of 2009 Ukraine launches realization of a complex blueprint on reconstruction and modernization of housing and communal economy. The Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko announced at the beginning of Governmental session.

According to the Premier, the Ministry of Housing and Communal Services has analyzed the state of 30 thousand of boiler-rooms and 72 thousand of boilers operating in Ukraine. This information has become the basis for the complex program of modernization and reconstruction of the mentioned sector. In particular, the program suggests one third of capacity of boilers generating heat and warming water to reequip for using national coal instead of natural gas.

As the Head of Government explained, 67% of the boiler economy of Ukraine has been operating on natural gas and consuming 10 to 12 billion cubic meters of gas annually. “The price for heat and hot water is determined by local authorities while gas price is fixed for Ukraine by Russia. The difference between the price received from Russia and at which we realize to housing and communal enterprises is almost twofold,” Yulia Tymoshenko imparted. Such a difference, according to her, should be reduced but not at the account of raise of tariffs for the population, but at the account of optimization of the system itself.

Besides, the Government suggest another third of capacities of boiler economy to reequip for using alternative energy sources. And the remaining part is planned to replace with heat pump systems, providing with the cheapest heat and hot water and operating on electric power.

The Prime Minister emphasized equipment to replace the boilers on consuming coal and alternative energy sources will be produced at national enterprises while the two state banks will finance them, the Oshchadbank and Ukreximbank. “And the most important thing is on completion of this program, the biggest part of which is to end this year, we will be able to transfer from use of natural gas and to cheap heat and hot water two-threefold,” Yulia Tymoshenko urged and added though the program is planned for the three years, the lion’s share will be finalized the current year.