The building of the first plant for the gasification of coal in Ukraine will begin in June, Energy and Coal Industry Minister Eduard Stavytsky told the press on Wednesday.

"In our plan for the first quarter is the preparation of a feasibility study, then we will begin the parallel implementation of the project and start building the first premises in June," Stavytsky said.

The Ukrainian authorities figure that the use of water-coal fuel thermal energy and the construction of plants for the gasification of coal will make it possible to replace around 4 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas with domestically produced coal per year, to ensure a stable market for around 10 million tonnes of coal annually, to create new jobs, and to save as much as $1.5 billion per year.