Gas production in Ukraine in 2016 increased by 1.5 per cent, from 19.9bn cu.m. to 20.2bn cu.m., the national gas transport company Ukrtranshaz said in a statement on 3 January.
Simultaneously, gas consumption dropped by 4 per cent from 31.4bn cu.m. to 30.3bn cu.m. last year. Ukraine had to import about 11bn cu. m.
The transit of natural gas through the Ukrainian gas transport system to European customers grew by 23 per cent up to 82.2bn cu.m.
In particular, in December 2016, Ukraine transported 8.4bn cu.m. of gas for the needs of European consumers, a 25-per-cent increase over the same period of 2015. As of 3 January, the daily transit has been 245.6m cu.m.
On 28 December last year, the Ukrainian cabinet approved the concept of development of the gas industry in Ukraine for the period until 2020, which calls for increased production of up to 27bn cu.m. a year. According to the plans, the consumption of gas by that time will reduce, and own production will fully meet the country's demand for gas.