KIEV, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine is seeking to diversify its energy sources by importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar, Ukraine's energy ministry said Thursday.
"LNG is one of the alternative directions of natural gas supplies to Ukraine, which can ensure the diversification of energy deliveries," Ukraine's Deputy Energy Minister Maksym Nemchynov said during the second meeting of the joint Ukrainian-Qatari intergovernmental commission on economic, trade and technical cooperation in Kiev.
Ukraine has the potential to import LNG from Qatar through the infrastructure of neighboring countries, or it could build its own LNG infrastructure within the next five to seven years, Nemchynov said.
Currently, Ukraine can import up to 14 billion cubic meters of gas yearly through reverse gas flows via Slovakia, Hungary and Poland, the official noted.
Qatar is one of the world's leading producers and exporters of LNG. Last year, the Gulf state exported more than 100 billion cubic meters of LNG.
In 2020, Ukraine consumed 29.84 billion cubic meters of natural gas, of which 9.24 billion cubic meters were imported from abroad.
