According to Mr Taras Shevchenko the director of Alchevsk steel mill that it plans to achieve energy independence due to considerable reducing of natural gas consumption.

Mr Taras Shevchenko last month said that the plant had consumed 60,000 cubic meters of gas per hour, 45,000 cubic meters of it were utilized by the blast furnace plant for the production technology, 10,000 went to an open hearth furnace shop and 5,000 cubic meters of gas were used by other facilities of the plant.

He said that due to the commissioning of the basic oxygen furnace production which technology doesn’t involve natural gas usage and owing to pulverized coal technology, natural gas consumption in a blast furnace department had reduced down to 25,000 to 27,000 cubic meters per hour.

Mr T Shevchenko said the plant plans to reduce natural gas consumption by 15,000 cubic meters in the H1of 2010. He said that “It’s the thing that will allow us not only to enhance the state of economy, but get energy independence in a complicated situation with the natural gas.”