Prime Minister: Increased domestic gas production, energy efficiency and energy savings ensure energy independence of Ukraine

Increased domestic gas production, large-scale implementation of energy efficiency measures and energy savings in the medium term will ensure energy independence of Ukraine. Prime Minister VolodymyrGroysmanstated this in an interview with Ukrinform.

Speaking about the Government's plans regarding the development of the gas sector, VolodymyrGroysmannoted that Ukraine has consistently reduced the production of gas in recent years. The Prime Minister is convinced that this policy was deliberate.

'There were created all conditions under which the state gas production fell in Ukraine. Restrictions on gas producers were tightened so that they could not develop, but more and more conditions for legal and energy dependence on Russia had been created. It was such a lasting sale of our sovereignty to the Russian Federation. I think this was a deliberate government policy of that time. We destroyed such policy,' VolodymyrGroysmansaid.

The Prime Minister noted that the Government has now committed on domestic gas production.

'Our objective is to develop our own production, precisely by a state company, to reduce the purchase of energy abroad, and we can already say that in 2016 we had not a minus, but a plus in production, and I enjoy this as it shows we've went the right way. And in the new year we will add to the level of gas production that we have today, plus 500 million cubic meters of gas,' the Head of Government stressed.

'If to consider that in parallel we are finally starting to implement ambitious energy saving measures by reducing energy consumption - we will have actually a balance of energy production and consumption. And that is energy independence; that is the development of the economy and the competitiveness on international markets. And this in the medium term will give us a very good result,' PM said.