UNIAN
Electricity production in Ukraine in January-March 2015 decreased by 12.5% - to 44.7 billion kilowatt/hours compared to January-March 2014, according to the State Statistics Service of Ukraine.
It is reported that nuclear power plants, which account for more than 50% of the total electricity production volume, reduced their production of electricity in January-March 2015 compared to the same period last year, to 23.7 billion kWh/h – down by a mere 0.01%.
But thermal power plants and combined heat and power plants, which are suffering from an acute shortage of coal amid ongoing hostilities in the Donbass, reduced the production of electricity in January-March 2015 by 24.1% - to 18.4 billion kW/h on a year-over-year basis.
And hydroelectric power stations have reduced electricity production volumes during the reported period by 20%, to 2.2 billion kW/h as compared to the previous year.
As earlier reported, Ukraine traditionally relies on coal to generate around 40% of its energy. For the first time in years, Ukraine has begun importing power-generating coal for its coal-fired power stations, as its own production has slumped due to the fighting in the Donbas.
Gas shortages and the shutdown of 80% of the mines in Ukraine have resulted in a shortage of energy resources and, as a result, of electricity.