OREANDA-NEWS. April 14, 2009. Over the first quarter of current year the state enterprises subordinate to the Ministry of Coal Industry extracted 10 million 150.7 thousand tons of coal, which exceeds the planned showings by 528.8 thousand tons or 5.5%. First Deputy Minister of Coal Serhii Ofitserov informed during a briefing at the Cabinet of Ministers.

At this, Serhii Ofitserov stressed extraction of steam coal for the respective period amounted 7 million 708 thousand tons, which also proves the plan is overfulfilled.

According to him, in April, despite the crisis situation, the coal industry is working stably with implementation of the state plan and amounts 100.4%.

At the same time, he added certain difficulties with realization of coal products on the market of thermal coal exist. Though, as he said, “the Gov’t is taking measures to stabilize activity of the coal industry, in particular on the market of steam coal”. Serhii Ofitserov disclosed on a Government’s decision the State Reserve of Coal Production has been set up and also 2 million 700 thousand tons of coal has been reserved and paid in full amount.

Together with that the thermal coal being extracted by the state enterprises is taken by enterprises of fuel-energy complex in full: “We are working nowadays with overfulfilment of plans destined for energy domain, so this coal will be paid at 100%”.

The First Deputy Coal Industry Minister also clarified for now energy companies have certain debts to the coal industry which is paid according to the schedule, that is “under personal control of the Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko”.

In his turn the head of Vyhillya of Ukraine company Oleh Pohodin commented on the situation joined with extraction of coke coal and underlined “all coke coal is being realized nowadays”.

At this, he added, under conditions of the global financial and economic recession the enterprises of coal industry had been forced to down prices on coke coal 3-3.5fold to “provide metallurgic industry with an opportunity to trade on foreign markets”.