The Government has planned UAH 52 million for scientific-research work in coal domain in the State Budget. The Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko announced during a meeting with heads of scientific institutions and machine-building enterprises that ensure needs of coal industry.

“In 2010 we should increase expenses for scientific-research activities, for support of the science at least twofold against the showings of 2007,” Yulia Tymoshenko emphasized. She clarified particularly it concerns elaboration of projects in extraction of coal and improvement of system of life protection for employees working in the coal domain.

Yulia Tymoshenko noted this Saturday the Government would adjust financial policy for the coal branch in the process of finalizing of the draft State Budget for 2010. She added that propositions to increase expenses for scientific-research work had to be received by the Government before September 15 – before the Government would submit the State Budget to the Verkhovna Rada.

 The Prime Minister stressed solutions and technical decisions of Ukrainian scientists are well-known and appraised in the CIS and other world countries: “Our task is to continue developing our science”.

 According to Yulia Tymoshenko, in 2009 the Gov’t has directed their efforts for raising of prestige of miner’s activity. “The year 2010 has to become significant for start of technical re-equipment of coal industry,” Yulia Tymoshenko said and added by 2011 the country could achieve dynamical development of the branch if to organize the work correctly during 2010.

The Premier reminded that from 2008 the country had systematically replaced oil and gas with alternative kinds of fuel. So, as she put it, in 2009 the country would use a significantly lower amount of gas against 2007. The amount of gas consumed in 2008 was 52 billion cubic meters and in 2009 –27-33 billion cubic meters.