Ukraine to build seven new coal mines

The Ukrainian Prime Minister Victor Yanukovych met with the country's Coal Industry Minister Sergey Tulub yesterday, December 12, to discuss the construction of seven new coal mines in the Donetsk, Luhanks and Lvov regions of Ukraine, an official release from Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers has stated. Mr. Tulub said during yesterday's meeting that the opening of seven new coal mines would provide an additional 17.7 million metric tons of coal for the country, 70 percent of which will be energy coal. Speaking on the issue, Prime Minister Yanukovych said that the commencement of work at the coal mines would allow Ukraine to reduce its use of natural gas by supplementing it with high quality coal. The new mines will be the first to be built in Ukraine in the last 25 years.