If shelling of energy facilities continues, state and private mines and thermal power plants will face the problem of overcrowded warehouses with nowhere to burn coal.

Alexander Trofimets, Vice President for Energy of the Ukrainian National Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC Ukraine), wrote about this in his Telegram channel.

He noted that the occupiers destroyed or captured almost all Ukrainian thermal power plants. The entire state generation of Centerenergo PJSC was captured (Uglegorskaya TPP) or destroyed (Zmievskaya and Trypolskaya TPP). 80% of DTEK's private generation was destroyed by rocket attacks. As a result, Ukrainian mines have lost consumers of their products.

“After all, there is simply nowhere to burn the coal they extracted. A significant reduction in the available and operating units of thermal power plants after the attacks is evidenced by the record volumes of coal in warehouses, as for the current period of the year. According to information published by ex-Minister of Energy Olga Buslavets, as of the end of April In 2024, the composition of Ukrainian thermal power plants and combined heat and power plants amount to more than 1.6 million tons of coal,” wrote Trofimets.

He also recalled the words of Advisor to the Prime Minister of Ukraine Yuriy Boyko, who predicts that next winter the energy system will face a shortage of generating capacity at which gas and coal can be burned to produce electricity and heat.

“Today, the mines operate as usual, shipping coal to warehouses. Usually, its amount is burned in the summer, when nuclear units go out for repairs, and thermal power plants support the operation of the energy system. However, this summer, a number of thermal capacities will not work, and a significant part of the accumulated coal warehouses will not be burned at idle power plants. And, accordingly, the miners will not be paid. This creates problems for the mines. Today, the government needs to find a solution not only to ensure energy production, but also to prevent closure. mines due to insufficient demand for coal,” Boyko said.

According to Trofimets, today the capacity of warehouses for storing coal is almost exhausted, and its accumulation and storage in other places will not solve the problem, because coal also has its own shelf life (up to six months).

State mines also spoke about the criticality of the problem. The trade union of coal industry workers said that if the authorities do not help resolve the crisis at Lvovugol, which arose due to the destruction of the only consumer - the Trypillya Thermal Power Plant, the enterprise may stop.

Trofimets noted that in private mines the problem of warehouse overflow, although it is just as acute, is still “on the brink” there. It is clarified that they are balancing between the desire to keep the mines operating and actually approaching the point where it will become physically impossible to accumulate more coal.
“DTEK Energo assured that they are doing everything possible to maintain the sustainability of Ukrainian coal mining and maintain last year’s coal production volumes, despite the consequences of the latest massive attacks. Now coal is mainly accumulated in the warehouses of coal enterprises, a little goes for combustion at thermal power plants. If the attacks will continue, and there will be nowhere to burn this coal, the company will face new challenges,” Trofimets warned.

It was previously reported that thermal power plants and combined heat and power plants were operating more hours this heating season to help the power grid during a time of shortage.

Source: https://www.obozrevatel.com