Ukraine cut steam coal consumption by one third in 2015, Energy and Coal Industry Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Demchyshyn has said.
“Thermal power generation decreased production by 35% that is demand on steam coal also fell by 35%, from 38 million tonnes of 27 million tonnes. Unfortunately, we are not anticipating an increase in demand for this year,” he said in Kyiv on Tuesday.
Demchyshyn said that the ministry plans to stimulate demand on coal thanks to the increase of electricity exports. The minister said that the transfer of two units of Zmiyivska thermal power plant to gas coal would allow increasing its consumption by 1.8 million tonnes a year.
The minister said that today the ratio between consumption of anthracite coal (extracted on the Ukrainian government-controlled territories) and gas coal shifted to the latter.
“If the ratio for anthracite coal and gas coal in 2015 was around 50% to 50%, now we see 65% and even 70% for gas coal,” he said.
Demchyshyn said that today state-run coalmines retain coal stocks available for production.
He said that today state-run coalmines have nine longwall faces where coal has not yet been produced.
