OREANDA-NEWS. June 18, 2012. Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov takes part in the ceremony of commissioning a new compressor unit at the Chervonodonetsk Compressor Station in the Kharkiv region.

"This large, modern complex of the Compressor Station will increase the production and transportation of more than 100 million cubic meters of natural gas. This is a very important contribution to the solution of the tasks that the President has put before the Government to ensure the energy independence of Ukraine. I congratulate you on such a significant step forward. We show all our friends and foes that Ukraine can on its own resources, due to its will and determination to solve the problems" - Mykola Azarov said.

The Prime Minister recalled that the Government is making every effort to increase domestic production of hydrocarbons implementing a program of energy conservation and energy efficiency and it actively seeks alternative energy supplies. In particular, Mykola Azarov noted that in September of this year, the drilling on the continental shelf of the Black Sea begins.

The Prime Minister said that the launch of a new compressor, which uses modern technology, will increase production of natural gas throughout the year.

"In Soviet times from the field more than 30 billion cubic meters of gas were annually produced, but technologies that were in those days were not allowed to produce more than 30%, today’s technologies allow us to raise the gas and increase production. In the future we will increase own gas production" - Mykola Azarov said.

The Prime Minister stressed that the Government is seriously engaged in expanding of gas and oil production. According to him the specialists of Shell and Chevron, which won the competition for the exploration and development of shale gas at Yuzovska and Oleska areas and which have concluded agreements on the joint production-sharing, were surprised by the speed with which agreements are beginning to be realized. According to him, only three months will take place since the signing of the agreement on the distribution of products to beginning of drilling.

However, Mykola Azarov entrusted the Minister of Energy and Coal Industry, Yuriy Boyko to study the possibility of extraction of shale oil in Ukraine.

Putting into operation of the Chervonodonetsk Compressor Station of the affiliated company Ukrgazdobycha of the Shebelinkagazdobuvannya will solve the problem of seasonal fluctuations in gas consumption in Shebelinka field in summer by Kharkov industrial region by way of the alternative supply of Shebelynka gas into pipelines of southern posts Shebelinka - Dnepropetrovsk - Kryvyi Rig - Ishmael up to 3 million cubic meters per day. Operation of the compressor station will also provide compensation for natural gas production from Shebelinka gas condensate field in the volume of 82 million cubic meters annually.

"Every million of cubic meters of gas is extremely important under conditions of extremely expensive Russian gas" - Mykola Azarov said.