KIEV, Nov. 11 - Ukraine increased its electricity exports 1.6-fold year-on-year in January-October 2011 to 4.962 billion kilowatt hours, a source in the Energy and Coal Industry Ministry source said.

Electricity exports from the Burshtyn Energy Island to Hungary, Slovakia and Romania surged 3.1-fold to 2.444 billion kWh. Exports to Eastern European countries skyrocketed this year because hardly any was exported to these countries in March-September 2010.

Belarus imported 1.927 billion kWh of Ukrainian electricity in the ten months, down 15.4%. Ukraine did not export any electricity to Belarus in May-June 2011 because Belarus did not have the foreign currency to pay for the imports, the ministry said. The exports resumed in July.