You're reading: Ukraine reaches deal to receive coal supplies during winter

Coal-short Ukraine has secured 1.3 million tons of coal supplies a month to avoid the power blackouts during the winter period, said Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn during the Dec. 31 news conference.

Of that amount, 300,000 tons will go to the state-run electricity producer Centrenergo, while billionaire Rinat Akhmetov’s DTEK will purchase another 1 million tons.

“We are negotiating with Australia, South Africa, Kazakhstan and Russia over securing the coal supplies,” said Demchyshyn. “Maybe, even Poland will supply some, but Polish coal is expensive and it’s not of an anthracite type, which is a sort we need. There’s no anthracite produced in the European Union.”

As of Dec. 1, Ukrainian power stations had 1.4 million tons of black fuel left in the storage, while they need up to 3.5 million monthly to cover the nation’s needs during the winter. War in the coal-rich Donbas region is a key cause of such a situation.

Right now, electricity makers operate at a minimum capacity, while 60 mines in the Donbas remain under control of the separatists. “We reregistered those mines in the mainland Ukraine, so we could work with them effectively,” minister explained.

Ukraine will be importing not just coal, but also electricity. Belarus, Moldova and Russia will provide the country with 150 billion kilowatt hours of power that will come at a slightly cheaper price than the Ukraine-produced electricity.

Commenting on the Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s deadline for solving the critical energy problems, which is Feb. 1 and might lead to energy minister’s dismissal, Demchyshyn said: “I’m not holding to this position, I’m just trying to be useful.”

“My ministry is way too complicated. It’s oil, gas, coal, nuclear power, electricity — all these sectors are connected to some business groups which leads to sabotage,” he added.

Demchyshyn told, he has brought 20 young people to work at the ministry whom he hopes to hire officially in the nearest future. “But I also need specialists, experienced ones, who worked here in the past, I simply can’t work without them.”

The deal with the supplies of South African coal that led to investigation against Volodymyr Zinevych, an official in charge of the purchase, should be seen as a case study for those who still think corruption in the energy sector is the way to go, Demchyshyn said.

Kyiv Post associate business editor Ivan Verstyuk can be reached at [email protected].