KYIV. Oct 31 (Interfax-Ukraine) - DTEK energy holding plans to increase coal production in Ukraine by 1.5-2 million tonnes in 2018, Dmytro Maliar, the first deputy commercial director of DTEK Energy, has said.

"This year we will increase production by 1.5-2 million tonnes, to 23 million tonnes ... We intend to try to repeat this growth next year," he said at the round table "Is the Ukrainian Energy System Ready for Autumn-Winter Peak Loads" at Interfax-Ukraine.

According to Maliar, in January-October 2017 DTEK imported about 1.4 million tonnes of coal.

"Over the year everything will depend on the temperature regime and the needs of the energy system. We see our possibilities to import 2.5-3 million tonnes per year," he said.

At the same time, he said that in the conditions of coal shortage the holding prefers to import coal rather than replace it with gas.

As reported, DTEK is an energy holding that manages three operating companies with assets in coal mining, thermal power generation and distribution, as well as alternative energy and gas production. It is part of System Capital Management (SCM) financial and industrial group, whose shareholder is Rinat Akhmetov.