MINSK, 27 January (BelTA) - In 2015 Belarus reduced electricity import by 26.3% to 2.8 billion kWh, spokeswoman for the Belarusian Energy Ministry Zhanna Zenkevich told BelTA.
"In 2015 Belarus imported 2.816 million kWh of electricity, including 2,815.2 million kWh from Russia, and 0.8 million kWh from Ukraine," Zhanna Zenkevich informed. Belarus imported energy "to diversify energy resources, proceeding from economic expediency," she explained.
Belarus has been steadily reducing electricity import. It imported 7.9 billion kWh in 2012, 6.7 billion kWh in 2013 and 3.8 billion kWh in 2014. The country is set to purchase 2.5 billion kWh abroad in 2016.
Belarus' own country energy-generating facilities (excluding isolated generating plants) generated 30.6 billion kWh of electricity last year. Gas distribution organizations supplied consumers with 18.1 billion cubic meters of natural gas and 89,400 tonnes of liquefied gas. Organizations affiliated with the state-run fuel and gasification industrial group Beltopgaz produced 676,800 tonnes of fuel briquettes, thus meeting the domestic demand in full.
