KIEV, Oct. 29 - Ukraine began the 2012/2013 heating season with natural gas reserves in underground gas storage facilities of about 21 billion cubic meters (bcm), Minister of Energy and Coal Industry Yuriy Boyko said.

"There should be 21 billion cubic meters," he said, Interfax-Ukraine reported.

According to the agency, Ukrtransgaz as of October 22 had 19.9 billion cubic meters of gas in its storage facilities, Chornomornaftogaz had over 800 million cubic meters.