Ukraine might allow delivery of 100,000 t of coal to Poland in Sept despite export ban

MOSCOW. Sept 12 (Interfax) - Ukraine will consider granting a quota to export 100,000 tonnes of coal to Poland in September, despite having imposed a ban on coal exports.

"On the order of the president of Ukraine, at the request of the Polish side, Ukraine is prepared to consider the possibility of opening quotas for coal exports to Poland. This refers to 100,000 tonnes in September that our Polish partners critically need now," Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on his Telegram channel.

Coal reserves at Ukrainian power plants currently total almost 2 million tonnes, which is 150% more than a year earlier, Shmyhal said.

He also said that during Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki's visit to Kyiv the two countries discussed the restoration and launch of the power line from the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant to the Polish town of Zheshuv.

"We planned to finish by December 14, but thanks to the acceleration of work we can complete a week earlier. This will make it possible to export an additional 1,000 MW to Poland," Shmyhal said, adding that Ukraine is asking Poland for help to expand export quotas within the ENTSO-E.

Ukraine expects that by the end of 2022 available throughput capacity to Slovakia, Romania and Hungary will increase from 300 MW by another 200-300 MW, and capacity to Poland will increase to over 1,000 MW.

Ukraine set zero export quotas for all types of coal except coking coal in mid-June, and on September 7 it completely banned coal exports.

Ukraine exported 450,600 tonnes of coal worth $145.917 million in the first seven months of 2022, including $93.349 million worth to Slovakia, $34.084 million to Poland, $15.919 million to Hungary and $2.565 million to other countries.