Photo from UNIAN
Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman has stated that Ukraine is ready for the current heating season and has accumulated sufficient resources.
"I want to admit that Ukraine is ready for the heating season. We have sufficient stocks of gas, coal, which was a challenge for us, we have built up nuclear power capacity and we are looking steadily at passing the heating season," Groysman said during a meeting with representatives of the trade union associations, adding that heat supplies to homes and offices have been commenced.
"Just yesterday I called mayors of regional centers and they informed me that the process [to supply heat] has started."
At this, Groysman said that the Ukrainian government together with the parliament had resolved certain issues that existed in the utility services sector, and expressed hope that during the next session week the government and parliament would tackle the remaining problems that had been accumulated over decades.
"I want to emphasize that the quality of heat supplies lies within the competences of local authorities. The issue of stockpiling resources has been achieved," the prime minister emphasized.
Read alsoWorld Bank approves allocation of $500 mln for Ukraine’s gas purchasesAs UNIAN reported earlier, in late July, the Cabinet of Ministers approved an action plan to prepare for the 2016-2017 heating season. According to the plan, the country intends to accumulate 2.8 million tonnes of coal in warehouses of thermal power plants by November 1, 2016.
At this, Ukraine's Energy Minister Ihor Nasalyk said that the country's integrated energy system was operating in a normal mode. Nuclear power plants account for 58-59% of power generation, and coal stocks accumulated in warehouses are estimated at 1.766 million tonnes.
Gas stocks amount to about 14.7 billion cubic meters, according to Naftogaz of Ukraine. The volume is sufficient to meet the company's contractual obligations to supply gas to all categories of the consumers, it said.