Ukraine to cut gas transit and consumption in 2015: official

Ukraine will significantly reduce natural gas consumption and transit via its pipelines this year, said Igor Prokopiv, head of state-owned firm Ukrtransgaz, on Thursday.

"We expect that the transit of gas will stand at 51 billion cubic meters in 2015, down from 62 billion cubic meters a year ago," Prokopiv told a press conference in Kiev, without giving any reason for the possible reduction.

Meanwhile, he said that Ukraine's gas consumption this year was excepted to fall 20 percent to 34 billion cubic meters due to a drop in industrial production and the cessation of gas supplies to the areas in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-independence rebels.

Last year, Ukraine reduced its gas consumption to 42.6 billion cubic meters from 50.4 billion cubic meters in 2013 due to the crisis in energy-intensive industries triggered by the conflict in eastern regions, the country's industrial heartland.

In 2014, transit of Russian gas via Ukraine to European states fell 29.1 percent to 59.3 billion cubic meters, while deliveries to the Commonwealth of Independent States countries stood at 2.7 billion cubic meters, up 18.3 percent year-on-year. Endi