OREANDA-NEWS. October 19, 2009. The Ministry of Energy is a body of exceptional significance to this country; therefore, perfect order and strong discipline should be imposed there, said President Alexander Lukashenko as he met with the Minister of Energy, Alexander Ozerets, to receive his report, reported the Official website president.gov.by.

This report, the President said, is part of the routine of receiving reports from top officials representing the various branches of the national economy. Last week the President received the report by the head of the Belarusian Railways and considered matters related to the operation of the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

The state has done much to improve the reliability and efficiency of the national fuel and energy complex, said Alexander Lukashenko. There has been secured an uninterrupted supply of electrical energy, heat energy and gas fuel to industrial and agricultural manufacturers, to utilities companies, and the population. The energy industry operating like clockwork provides for the smooth operation of the economy as a whole and for improving the lives of Belarusians. Extension of gas supply networks, also known as gasification, plays a big role in this respect. Today Belarus is among the world’s leaders in terms of gasification, as gas supply networks have been extended to all 118 regional centres of this country; 738 agro-towns have been provided with gas supply.

Energy Minister Alexander Ozerets reported to the President on the progress made in the implementation of the Energy Security Concept, on what has been done to reduce the share of natural gas in this nation’s fuel and energy consumption pattern, its share in the production of heat and electrical energy; he also reported on the progress in the modernisation of the energy industry.