Ukrenergo chairman comments on destruction of least efficient TPPs and strategic opportunities arising
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.”
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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.
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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.
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From $12 billion to $17 billion should be allocated for the transition from outdated technologies to innovative renewable energy, Maksym Bevz, head of Ukraine’s renewable energy and green reconstruction Razom We Stand initiative, said in an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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