20% of electricity generation in Ukraine is under threat: Donbass does not provide coal
Kyiv, August 23 (Navigator, Vladimir Mikhailov) – An increasing decline in coal production can lead to an imbalance in the energy system and serious accidents.
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Since July, the rate of decline in coal production has accelerated significantly; Thermal power plants may be left without coal and will not be able to maintain current parameters in the power system, which will lead to accidents. This opinion was expressed by Deputy General Director of the Center for Energy Research Vadim Glamadzin.
“More than 70% of coal production in Ukraine is concentrated in the Donbass. Today, almost half of the mines are operating in limited mode. Some work only to supply energy, others deliver coal to warehouses that cannot be taken out, some mines have stopped working altogether. According to the information that we have, 9 mines are already in such a state that they will not be subject to restoration, even if everything ends there,” he said. “If mines are not working as they should, the first thing that happens is that coal production decreases. Considering the situation, it is not yet critical. For 7 months of this year, the overall reduction in coal production in Ukraine is only 3%. Considering that Ukraine has always had a surplus of coal, this is not much. But already in July there was a fairly significant decline. In July, compared to July last year, total production fell by 21%, with coking coal production decreasing more and thermal coal production decreasing less. Thermal coal production fell by more than 16%.
Thus, the rate of decline has already begun to reach a significant level. This leads to the metallurgy and energy industries suffering. Coal-fired power plants produce more than 40% of the country's electricity. And their condition is threatening,” the expert believes.
“At all thermal power plants, with the exception of one, coal reserves have decreased compared to the same period last year. On some it is 15% of last year, on others – 70-80%. So far this has not led to critical consequences.
Almost everything is working normally, but the situation as a whole is already threatening. Today there are already two stations that do not provide energy, they are disconnected from the energy system, these are Slavyanskaya and Uglegorskaya thermal power plants. Another five stations have coal reserves, but replenishment cannot be delivered to them. Anthracite, which is used in half of the thermal power plants in Ukraine, is mined only in mines that are located in the combat zone.
Thus, half of thermal power plants will soon be without coal. And this is more than 20% of the total generation in Ukraine. And there are also thermal power plants, which provide almost 5% of production,” Glamadzin said.
According to the expert, stopping thermal power plants using Donetsk coal will lead to the fact that there will be no balancing capacities in the energy system. As a result, there will be nothing to ensure electricity production during periods of maximum load.
“We will have a shortage, and we will not be able to regulate the system, maintain current parameters, and this means that there will be accidents, more serious than just turning off the current,” says the expert. This can only be avoided if the supply of coal to thermal power plants can be restored in the near future.
As Navigator reported, earlier Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced an increase in reverse gas supplies from Europe, but admitted that the country cannot do without Russian gas.
English version :: Read in English 20% of Ukraine's electricity generation is under threat: Donbass is not providing coal