Ukraine to partially replace gas with heating oil

Ukraine will increase the use of heating oil in the county's energy mix to replace natural gas, Deputy Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said here Monday.

"We have decided to increase usage of heating oil as an alternative fuel to partially cover gas deficit," Xinhua quoted Groysman telling media after a meeting of the anti-crisis energy staff.

Ukraine is planning to replace around 3 billion cubic metres of gas during the upcoming winter heating season with heating oil purchased on the domestic market and abroad, he added.

Groysman said the government is also seeking ways to switch some Ukrainian thermal power plants from gas to coal-fired power.

Ukraine, once Europe's fourth largest coal producer, is now mulling importing coal because of the unrest in its eastern regions, the country's mining hub. From January through July, Ukraine's coal production plunged 12 percent year-on-year to 21.4 million tonnes.

Ukraine's energy crisis peaked in June after Russia's energy giant Gazprom cut all gas supplies to Ukraine as the two sides failed to reach an agreement on payments.