The Energy and Coal Industry Ministry of Ukraine has set a task to cut by 30 percent the country’s dependence on anthracite coal, which until recently has been supplied almost entirely from the military operation zone in Donbas region in volume of over 9 million tons per year, Minister Ihor Nasalyk said at a press conference in Kyiv on Dec. 22.
According to him, in three years Ukraine should fully get rid of dependence on coal from the combat zone.
The second reactor of the state-run Centrenergo’s Zmiyiv Thermal Power Plant will be switched to gas coal on March 1 and its fifth reactor in three months, the minister said.
According to him, this will reduce the anthracite coal purchases by 1.5-2 million tons per year.
Nasalyk also thanked the DTEK energy company and TechNova, which started to buy coal not only from the military zone but from other suppliers.
