KREMENCHUK, Sept. 17 - Illich Iron & Steel Works, one of Ukraine's top three steel producers, will invest EUR400-500 million in a converter plant next year, Volodomyr Boiko, the company's CEO, said in Kremenchuk.

Boiko said the new plant would use 600 cubic meters of gas per hour. "The blast furnace's closure and the launch of the new plant should save us thousands of cubic meters of gas," he said.