OREANDA-NEWS. August 31, 2007. This year Belarus has reduced the consumption of natural gas by 5%, Belarus’ Energy Minister Alexander Ozerets said during a session of the Council of Ministers of Belarus, reported the Official website http://www.government.by.

The Belarusian Prime Minister has tasked the Energy Minister to see to it that the work on increasing the share of local fuels in the Belarusian fuel consumption mix should be accelerated. As an example Sergei Sidorsky cited Germany which reduced the consumption of natural gas by 37% over the seven months this year.

“Now we have to work in the absolutely different environment with respect to oil and gas prices. This is $2 billion more that we have to take out from our economy,” Sergei Sidorsky noted. In this conjunction the Prime Minister said it was important that the measures stipulated in Directive No3 be strictly implemented.