Ukrainian DTEK plans to commission 28 coal faces by winter

MOSCOW. June 19 (Interfax) - Ukraine's DTEK energy holding continues summer maintenance and repairs at its thermal power plants and plans to boost coal production, Ukrainian media reported, citing the company's executive director Dmitry Sakharuk.

"Nine [thermal power plant] units are currently undergoing scheduled maintenance. We started the campaign back in March. We have spent almost UAH 2 billion on this maintenance. And we are actively mining coal. We have 28 coal faces to commission. We have commissioned 11 and plan another two this month," Sakharuk said on the holding's Telegram channel.

He said thermal generation was keeping the energy system balanced in the context of the summer maintenance campaign at thermal and nuclear power plants, the drop in hydropower generation after the flood season ended and the Kakhovka dam breach, "and imports are coming in at certain hours, covering the deficit."

In general, there are no critical situations in the power system that might lead to restrictions on consumers, with the exception of selective outages, Sakharuk said. But he said it was still necessary to use electricity wisely, including from the economic point of view, in order to pay less for it.

DTEK said that its TPPs generated 20% more electricity in May this year than in May last year. They have generated more than 5.7 billion kWh since the start of this year.

DTEK had by the beginning of June completed maintenance and repairs at four or 15% of a planned 27 TPP units in preparation for the autumn-winter. It needs just under UAH 7 billion to restore damaged and destroyed TPP equipment.

DTEK was established in 2005 to manage the energy assets of Rinat Akhmetov's System Capital Management group.