Ukrenergo chairman comments on destruction of least efficient TPPs and strategic opportunities arising
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Russian missile attacks on Ukraine’s national energy
infrastructure consequences are dire as up to 80% of heat generation, and up to 35% of hydro generation
in Ukraine were destroyed, while in the future it may become Ukrainian blessing
in disguise, NPC Ukrenergo Chairman Volodymyr Kudrytskyi said in an interview
with NV.
The first of those power plants that suffered as a result of
Russian aggression between March 22 and April 11 were built and put into
operation between 1959 and 1977.
“They were all built a long time ago, using old
technologies,” Kudrytskyi emphasized.
“Everything in it contradicts today’s modern technological
state.”
About 20% of thermal plants’ power units were reconstructed
before Feb. 24, 2022, but even under these conditions, then it was not possible
to significantly improve the environmental performance of the stations, and
their maneuvering characteristics were insufficient for Ukraine’s United Energy
System modern needs.
“In other words, the most inefficient and most expensive
generation is being knocked out for us now,” Ukrenergo Chairman
emphasized.
Almost all mines of Ukraine, where coal was mined, ended up
in temporarily uncontrolled territories in post-2014 period. This caused a
critical shortage of anthracite coal. Ukraine was forced to cope with it
importing coal from South Africa to North America, which caused a major
reduction in TPPs anthracite coal consumption: from 9.2 million tons in 2016 to
1.62 million tons in 2021.
Ukrenergo called the situation with coal stocks in TPP
warehouses critical in Fall 2021.
“There is 2.3 times less coal in TPP warehouses than it has
to be in compliance with fuel accumulation scheme adopted by Energy Ministry,”
Ukrenergo message said at the time.
Ukraine joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance coalition
following international climate conference in Glasgow in November 2021. It is
an association of national governments, businesses and organizations advocating
coal generation halting, and transition to renewable energy sources. Ukraine
undertook responsibilities to completely abandon coal power generation at
state-owned power plants by 2035.
From $12 billion to $17 billion should be allocated for the
transition from outdated technologies to innovative renewable energy, Maksym
Bevz, head of Ukraine’s renewable energy and green reconstruction Razom We
Stand initiative, said in an interview with the state news agency Ukrinform.
This is a lot of money even for peacetime. Especially for wartime.
“We need to mobilize the international support we have in
order to attract as many private investments as possible and build new
generation instead of the coal we are losing,” Kudrytskyi summarized in an
interview with NV.
“The moment when we will be forced to do it has come.”
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