KIEV, July 09, /ITAR-TASS/. Ukraine has all technical possibilities for replacing imports of Russian gas in the heating season with supplies from the European Union, a senior official from the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry said on Wednesday.

“Our technical possibilities as to imports from countries of the European Union exceed the deficit that our consumers may face,” said Leonid Nesterov, head of the ministry’s department for diversification of oil and gas supplies.

“The situation is tense but not hopeless,” he added.

“From August 2014 to March 2015 we can ensure gas imports (from the EU) to the amount of about ten billion cubic meters,” he said. According to Nesterov, at the moment daily production of natural gas in Ukraine is about 50 million cubic meters, while possible gas deficit in the heating season, without taking into account reverse supplies, may amount to about seven billion cubic meters.

Russia’s state-controlled energy giant Gazprom on June 16 switched Ukraine’s oil and gas company Naftogaz to prepayment for gas supplies because Kiev failed to pay part of its gas debt by the deadline of 10:00 Moscow Time on June 16. Gas supplies to Ukraine were halted, but transit volumes were reportedly passing via Ukraine to Europe in line with the schedule.