TPPs have plan B with coal imports in case of loss of production due to Russian shelling – Ukrenergo

Today, Ukraine has formed coal reserves of approximately 2 million tonnes, which are more than sufficient to get through the winter, but in the event of a stoppage of coal production, which, like gas production, is at risk of being hit by Russian shelling, thermal generation is ready to import fuel, said Yuriy Boiko, a member of the supervisory board of Ukrenergo.

"Since the key source of coal production today is actually the Pavlohrad area, which is under regular shelling, we must be aware that this is also a risk. It requires at least attention and understanding that if the situation worsens, there may be a need for imports. For a traditional winter, coal reserves are more than enough, but for a winter in war conditions, we must take into account the risk and have plan B. As far as I know from talking to colleagues representing generating companies, they have such a plan," Boiko said during a briefing at the Ukraine Media Center in Kyiv.

He noted that currently the TPP warehouses have approximately 2 million tonnes of coal.

"This is work for 2 months for the winter, but this is almost the maximum volume that can be accumulated at the stations, because the standard scenario involves transporting the resource," Boiko explained.

He also noted that it is quite possible to reach the government-announced figures for the beginning of November of 13.2 billion cubic meters in gas accumulation, given the current volume of gas, technical and financial capabilities, which have recently significantly improved as a result of the work of Naftogaz management and a lot of credit resources have been attracted.

At the same time, Boiko noted that this indicator alone does not allow us to fully count on a successful winter, since there are military risks. In the event of damage to production facilities or underground storage infrastructure, we will also have to count only on imports.

"In the case of an average winter, 13.2 billion cubic meters will certainly be enough, but it all comes down to how the military risk will be realized. Successful winter depends on two factors: accessibility, the availability of gas in storage facilities and the internal resource that is constantly being extracted. If there is damage, then the indicator of 13.2 billion cubic meters will require revision and prompt response - it will be necessary to look for gas in the winter period, when the price will be higher," Boiko said.