Natural gas reserves in Ukrainian underground gas storage facilities (UGS) have reached 11.7 billion cubic meters of gas, and power plants store 1.5 million tonnes of coal, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said.

"We are preparing the thermal power industry for winter. Repairs of combined heat and power plants, boiler houses, and thermal power plants are going on as planned. Some 11.7 billion cubic meters of gas have already been pumped into Ukrainian gas storage facilities. This is almost 80% of the need. We have 1.5 million tonnes of coal in stock, we plan to reach the figure of 1.8 million tonnes," Shmyhal said at a meeting of the Ukrainian government on Tuesday.

The head of government called on the Ministry of Reconstruction, the Ministry of Energy, Ukrenergo and NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy "to maximize the concentration of efforts and mobilize resources."

As reported, Ukraine has 12 UGS facilities with a total design capacity of 31 billion cubic meters. The country plans to enter the 2023/24 heating season with reserves of 14.7 billion cubic meters.