DTEK Energy increases coal production to 12.3 mln tonnes in Jan-Sept

KYIV. Oct 5 (Energy Reform) – The volume of gas coal production by DTEK Energy in January-September this year amounted to 12.3 million tonnes, of which 1.3 million tonnes were produced directly in September, the company’s communications department said.

According to Energy Reform’s calculations, this is 13.3% less than was produced over nine months of 2020 (some 14.2 million tonnes).

At the same time, according to Ildar Saleev, General Director of DTEK Energy, production at only eight operating mines of DTEK Pavlohradvuhillia over nine months increased by 720,000 tonnes compared to the same period last year.

"We are mobilizing all resources to maximize fuel supplies. This is especially important in a turbulent and difficult situation with record energy prices in world markets," Saleev said in the company’s report on Tuesday.

The company reportedly commissioned 22 new longwalls in January-September, of which one in September.

In total, this year the company plans to extract almost 17 million tonnes of gas coal and put into operation eight more new longwalls by the end of the year, the report said.

As noted in the company, as of October 5, coal reserves at warehouses of DTEK Energy thermal power plants (TPPs) amounted to 604,000 tonnes due to its own production and import of the resource.

At the same time, it was indicated there that the company’s TPPs have recently increased their load and are operating above the forecast balance, the reasons for which is a sharp cooling at the end of the month, accompanied by a coal shortage in a significant part of thermal generation.

"As an example, only on September 20-26, DTEK Energy TPPs supplied 532 million kWh of electricity to the grid, which is more than the forecast balance and by 109 million kWh more than the indicator of the previous week. The number of turbines during this period was increased from 18 to 23," the company said, adding that more coal was burned than planned.

According to the dispatch information of NPC Ukrenergo, as of the evening of October 5, two units of Zaporizhia TPP are not operating among 22 power units of DTEK TPPs due to the lack of coal, the rest of the units are listed as being repaired.

As reported, on the morning of October 5, stocks at TPP warehouses are 715,500 tonnes, while the schedule for the coal accumulation approved by the ministry provided the availability of 2.538 million tonnes on that date.

DTEK Energy and PJSC Centerenergo in August agreed to supply 75,000 tonnes of thermal coal from the United States from Hamilton mine US, which they will divide equally upon arrival.

Later, DTEK agreed with the American company HC Trading (Heidelberg Cement Group) to supply to Ukraine two shiploads of American thermal coal with a total volume of 150,000 tonnes.

In August, DTEK Energy also signed an agreement with the Polish coal mining company Bogdanka for the supply of 320,000 tonnes of thermal coal from August 2021 to January 2022 inclusive.

In addition, the company imports coal from Kazakhstan.

DTEK Energy is an operating company responsible for coal mining and electricity production from coal within the DTEK holding. Installed power generation capacity is 13.5 GW. In coal mining, a full production cycle has been created: mining and processing of coal, service maintenance of mine equipment.