Photo from Ukrainian Railways
Many Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv, could be left without heat and electricity if gas- and fuel-oil-burning power and heat plants are not started up soon, online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda has reported, referring to a source in the energy ministry.
The Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry is holding an emergency meeting with the new Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn, during which the participants will have to find a way out of the catastrophic situation caused by the shortage of coal for thermal power stations, Ukrainska Pravda was informed by ministry sources.
The meeting was attended by the head of DTEK Maxim Tymchenko and a former adviser to ex-Energy Minister Eduard Stavitsky, Serhiy Kuzyara.
Ukraine has faced coal shortages since earlier in the year, when Russian-backed militants seized several areas in the east of Ukraine where the bulk of Ukraine's coal is produced.