MINSK — The Belarussian government has instructed the country's Energy Ministry to submit proposals on reducing natural gas imports and increasing purchases of electric power from Russia and Ukraine, a state-agency source told Interfax.
This is a response to prices for energy resources moving in different directions, this source said. "Since Gazprom answered with a rejection to the Belarussian government's request that gas prices be 'frozen' this year, the import of gas for the energy system will decrease. The consumption of imported electric energy will increase in substitution," he said, adding that this decision will also help in the foreign trade deficit.
(Interfax)
