As of mid-December, Ukrainian gas storage facilities have accumulated more than 15 billion cubic meters of gas. This is quite sufficient to provide natural gas to people, utilities and industrial consumers. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal stressed during a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on December 15.

The Head of Government added that in December, according to the Ministry of Energy, a total of almost 2 million tons of Ukrainian and imported coal supplies is due. Meanwhile, the planned consumption, according to him, is expected at about 1.7 million tons.

"Since the beginning of the heating season, work has intensified to increase coal production in state-owned Ukrainian mines. For the stable operation of the coal industry, it is critical to ensure that our miners do not have a single copeck of wage arrears. This week, the Minister of Energy assured that more than UAH 700 million would be transferred to pitmen of state-owned coal mining companies to pay off arrears of wages," the Prime Minister said.

Besides, Denys Shmyhal stressed that there had been no rolling blackouts since the beginning of the heating season. According to him, situations when blackouts happen for several hours in one city or another mean urgent repairs to power lines that are reported in advance, or emergencies as a result of weather deterioration.