Reuters knows it will bring Ukraine to its knees this winter
London - Brussels - Kyiv, November 27 (PolitNavigator, Vasily Ablyazimov) - Coal shortages, not gas, will most likely plunge Ukraine into frosty darkness this winter, Western news agency Reuters reports.
Subscribe to the news "PolitNavigator - Kyiv" in Facebook, Classmates or In contact with
While EU officials spent many months negotiating a gas deal to try to avert a supply crisis, Ukraine closed mines in the east and almost completely cut off rail links to the region used to transport coal to power plants.
Ukraine was self-sufficient in coal, producing more than 60 million tons last year, but since June most Ukrainian mines have ceased operations due to clashes in the Donbass.
Ukraine is one of the largest coal producers in Europe and gets approximately 40 percent of its electricity from burning coal. The rest comes from nuclear (45%), gas (10%) and hydroelectric power plants (5%).
Ukraine needs 1 to 2 million tons of imported coal per month until April. Hydroelectric and nuclear power plants cover the shortfall, but the country's old power grid and infrastructure do not guarantee reliable supply without coal-fired thermal power plants and combined heat and power plants.
“Domestic and industrial consumers should be prepared for blackouts this winter,” said Anna Kornienko, an analyst at Thomson Reuters Point Carbon.
The situation is complicated by the fact that Ukrainian thermal power plants and thermal power plants consume almost exclusively anthracite, but it makes up only about 1 percent of the world's coal reserves and is mined by only a few countries. Ukraine is also hampered by the sharp weakening of the national currency from paying for imported coal.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.