Quotas on imports of coking coal to Ukraine will be set from June 1, 2013, while the quotas will be distributed in line with recommendations of the interagency commission headed by Vice Premier Yuriy Boiko.

According to cabinet resolution No. 312 of April 22, 2013, posed on April 26, 2013, the commission will take information on operation of importers over the past three years as a guideline: volumes of imports of coking coal and consumption of Ukrainian coal, the volumes of production and consumption of coke and the volumes of production of cast iron, including using the pulverized coal injection (PCI) method.

According to the document, the Economic Development and Trade Ministry will publish information on its Web site on a procedure for submitting applications of importers and the period of their registration, then the application will be sent to the interagency commission, which is to consider them within seven working days after the completion of the acceptation of the applications.

The commission also includes the industrial policy minister and the first deputy energy and coal industry minister as deputy heads of the commission, and the director of the foreign economic operation department at the Economic Development and Trade Ministry has been appointed the commission's secretary.

The commission also includes the income and tax minister, the economic development and trade minister, the energy and coal industry minister, the regional development, construction, housing and utilities economy minister, the first deputy ecology and natural resources minister, the chairman of the State Service for Emergency Situations, the directors of the departments of the State Property Agency (on the basis of which the Industrial Policy Ministry is being restored), officials from the Economic Development and Trade Ministry and Energy and Coal Industry Ministry, the director general of Ukrkoks and an advisor to the vice premier (the two latter under their agreement).

As reported, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on March 13, 2013 introduced a quota of 10.2 million tonnes on imports of coal (coking coal, bituminous coal and other types of coal) for 2013. The cabinet also bans imports of coke and coal char, rotary coal).

The 10.2 million tonne quota includes the volumes of coal required for pulverized coal injection units (2.5 million tonnes).

At present, the share of imported coal is 37.5% of total coking coal consumed by Ukraine. Earlier the share of imported coal of total coal supplies to Ukrainian coking plants reached 36-40%.

Ukrainian coking plants in 2012 cut production of metal coke by 3.3% year-over-year, to 18.928 million tonnes.