KIEV, July 16. /ITAR-TASS/. Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko demanded from the Ukrainian government on Wednesday to resume natural gas supplies to the Ukrainian capital’s thermal power plants in full to ensure hot water supplies for the city’s residents. The Kiev administration received an urgent instruction from Ukrainian Energy and Coal Industry Minister Yuriy Prodan on Tuesday to limit natural gas consumption at the Kiev thermal power plants TETs-5 and TETs-6 to the minimum technological needs of 528,000 cubic meters per day.

“I have met with the prime minister and discussed this situation,” said mayor Klitschko, who is also leader of the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform (UDAR).

“In such circumstances, Kiev residents will be left without hot water and we cannot afford this,” the Kiev mayor noted.

At least 1.8 million cubic meters of natural gas are required per day to ensure hot water supplies for the Ukrainian capital’s residents, Klitschko said.

Ukrainian national energy company Naftogaz chief Andriy Kobolev earlier said that Ukraine might be short of about 6 billion cu m of natural gas this winter because of a lack of agreements with Russia.

He said the Ukrainian population should therefore “save about 4 billion cu m of gas.”

“Energy saving is within reasonable limits, from banal regulators on heating batteries to proper heat supplies. The transition to energy saving at all stages will help save up to 4 billion cubic meters of gas,” Kobolev said.

Russia cut off natural gas supplies to Ukraine from June 16, 2014 over its gas debt as Kiev refuses to pay for Russian natural gas at $485 per 1,000 cu m. According to Russian energy giant Gazprom, Ukraine’s overall gas debt to Russia has topped $5 billion.