Ministry of Energy: Coal production at state-owned mines has increased by more than 24% since the beginning of the year

Despite war risks, shelling, power outages and staff shortages, coal production at state-owned mines has been exceeding pre-war levels for several months. Since the beginning of the year, production has increased by over 24%.

While in March 2022, state-owned coal mines produced 173,000 tonnes and this figure has been declining for a long time, in January 2024, production totalled 178,000 tonnes of coal, in February – 197,000 tonnes, and in March, production totalled 221,000 tonnes, which is 24% more than in January.

The average daily production rate also increased. In September, coal miners produced an average of 4,100 tonnes per day, while in March it was 7,100 tonnes.

“The high-quality performance of the state-owned coal industry is the result of the Ministry of Energy’s ongoing joint work with coal mining companies. And we have further development plans that will allow us not only to stabilise the situation in the industry, but also to push it to further development, in particular, by increasing coal production, which is important in preparation for the next heating season,” said Deputy Minister of Energy of Ukraine Oleksandr Kheilo.

Indeed, as coal production by state-owned enterprises increases, so do the coal reserves held by energy companies. In particular, at the end of March, almost 1,208,000 tonnes of coal were accumulated in the warehouses of CHPPs and TPPs, which is 508,000 tonnes more than planned. This is important for preparations for the 2024-2025 heating season, which have already begun at domestic power plants where the security situation and recovery from large-scale russian shelling allow it.