The Energy and Coal Industry Ministry of Ukraine has set a task to cut by 30% the country's dependence on anthracite coal, which until recently has been supplied almost entirely from the anti-terrorist operation (АТО) zone in volume of over 9 million tons per year, Minister Ihor Nasalyk has said.

"In three years we should fully get rid of dependence on coal from the ATO zone," he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Thursday.

The second reactor of the state-run Centrenergo's Zmiyiv Thermal Power Plant will be switched to gas coal on March 1 and its fifth reactor in three months, the minister said.

According to him, this will reduce the anthracite coal purchases by 1.5-2 million tons per year.

Nasalyk also thanked the DTEK energy company and TechNova, which started to buy coal not only from the ATO zone but from other suppliers.