OREANDA-NEWS. September 20, 2011. Today Ukraine has a program that aims to significantly reduce consumption and imports of natural gas. Minister of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine Yuriy Boyko said this in Great policy TV-program.

"We have the program on reduction of gas consumption in the country and increase of domestic exploration which has operated from the beginning of this year. We buy this year 40 billion cubic meters of Russian gas. Next year we'll buy 27 billion cubic meters. And 3 years later we will go to purchase of 12 billion cubic meters, of which 5 billion cubic meters we receive from Azerbaijan and 7 from the Russian Federation. This program is approved by the President of Ukraine. Specific orders are given to the Government. Its implementation started in April"- the Minister told.

He also said that Ukraine had already significantly reduced consumption of gas.

"We only due to the transfer of our compressors to electric drive save 2 billion cubic meters. We had saved about 2 billion cubic meters of gas by the partial transfer of thermal power station to coal consumption and increased volumes of coal. We also over the next year will move all the TPS, which operate on gas to coal or peat. Metallurgical enterprises also reduce gas consumption by transferring to coal"- Yuriy Boyko said.