OREANDA-NEWS. December 02, 2013. “Ukraine will further increase coal production,” the President said.

In the course of his interview to Ukrainian TV journalists, the President informed that the coal production had been increased by 17 million tons in the last 3 years.

“In 2010 we produced 69 million tons of coal, this year we will produce about 86 million tons,” Viktor Yanukovych noted.

According to the Head of State, national enterprises will escape gas dependence and switch to other types of fuel due to the coal processing.

“One of such projects is being elaborated jointly with Chinese experts. We are about to finish a great investment project with China on the construction of plants on the production of synthetic gas,” the President stressed adding that Ukraine was going to build 4 such plants.

“These documents will be most likely signed next week in the course of my visit to China,” he added.

The President also noted that industrial gas consumption in metallurgy, chemical and energy spheres had been significantly reduced. “We do not use gas in energy sphere at all. We have reduced gas consumption in metallurgy. We almost do not use gas in the blast-furnace practice,” he said adding that it was possible due to the modernization of enterprises.

The President added that energy-saving technologies with usage of alternative fuel had already been widely used in HCS.

“I am proud to say these things because we have managed to reduce gas consumption by 18 billion cubic meters without reducing production. We have shown that we are capable of implementing such great programs,” Viktor Yanukovych noted.