Ukraine does not want to import electricity from Russia

(Baonghean.vn) - Ukraine will not import electricity from Russia, despite the serious shortage of domestic anthracite coal supply and problems in the power system - Russian Minister of Energy and Coal Industry, Mr. Igor Nasalik said.

Ukraine wants to get rid of energy imports from Russia. Photo: Tass

Ukraine currently has a 10% electricity shortage due to the loss of anthracite coal supplies from the Donbass territories controlled by independence forces, leading to a sharp decrease in coal reserves in thermal power plants.

At the end of December 2016, the Ukrainian authorities introduced a trade embargo against the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk Republics, including a railway embargo. This led to the interruption of coal deliveries to Kiev by rail from Donbass.

Minister Nasalik added that Ukraine consumes 24 million tons of coal annually, of which 9 million tons are mined in Donbass. Most of Ukraine's coal mines are currently under the control of separatists.

However, “The plan to import electricity from Russia should not be approved. It should even be completely “cut off”. We do not want to be dependent,” he emphasized.

Russia and Ukraine share the same power transmission system, so technically there is no obstacle for Ukraine to import electricity. However, many analysts say that buying electricity directly would be more expensive than buying coal to power plants.

Ukraine currently has the capacity to produce 55,000 MW of electricity per year. However, according to the Ministry of Energy, in reality only about 26,000 MW is used by the country, as Ukraine is a country with a “tradition” of exporting energy./.

America and Russia

(According to TASS)