REUTERS
Stocks of anthracite coal at Ukrainian thermal power plants (TPP) shrank by 7.2% on April 11-18, 2017, to 365,900 tonnes, according to the Ukrainian Energy and Coal Industry Ministry's press service.
At the same time, the stocks of gas coal increased by 5.6%, from 1.411 million tonnes to 1.490 million tonnes.
In general, coal stocks at TPPs rose by 2.8% over the week, to 1.856 million tonnes.
UNIAN memo. Fighting in the eastern regions of Ukraine has caused a significant shortage of coal, primarily that of thermal anthracite produced in militant-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Thus, the deficit of coal affects the operation of power plants, which have to reduce their capacity.
In order to provide the smooth operation of the power grids, anthracite was imported from South Africa. However, the issue of coal shipments to thermal power plants became critical after the launch of a blockade of trade with the occupied areas in late January 2017.