BUDAPEST, Jan. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- Pressure in gas pipelines between Russia and Hungary through Ukraine was restored to normal on Monday night, Hungarian media reported on Tuesday.

   After a sharp fall in Hungary's gas imports from Ukraine during the weekend, gas pressure stabilized in the pipeline from Ukraine by 21:30 local time, Hungarian Economics Minister Janos Koka announced late on Monday.

   A spokesman for the Hungarian oil and gas company Mol confirmed on Tuesday morning that pressure in gas pipelines coming directly from Russia, as well as those running through Ukraine, had returned to normal on Monday night.

   Hungary is currently consuming about 65 million cubic meters of gas per day. For every degree the temperature drops, consumption rises by 1.5 million cubic meters, but the temperature would have to fall 10 degrees from its current level and remain there for gas supply to be threatened, the minister said.

   The gas supply interruption came about after a price dispute broke out between Ukraine and Russia. The Russian state monopoly, Gazprom, said on Sunday it had cut down gas supplies to Ukraine after Kiev refused to sign a new contract requiring it to pay four times the price.

   Ukraine also serves as a transit country for Russian gas exports to Europe, including Hungary.

   By Monday afternoon Hungary's natural gas imports from Russia via Ukraine had dropped considerably. Zsolt Hernadi, Mol's president and CEO, told national television on Monday night that the largest decline they measured was 57%.

   Hungary consumes 14 billion cubic meters of gas a year, 80% of which is covered by imports and 70% of these are Russian deliveries. The current dispute has underscored the dangers of Hungary's unilateral energy dependence, Koka said, speaking after gas pressure in the pipeline coming directly from Ukraine was restored to normal.

   As part of this long-term strategy, Hungary, together with the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia, are to propose that the European Union construct alternative pipelines aimed at alleviating this dependence, said Koka. Enditem