Ukraine will buy coal from South Africa

Monday, September 22, 2014 - 17:33 (EEST) Section: Latest news

The Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry has entered into contracts for the supply of coal from South Africa that will allow Ukraine to receive up to 250,000 tonnes of coal per month from October.
Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Minister of Regional Development, Construction and Housing Volodymyr Hroisman told a briefing after a meeting of the government’s energy crisis headquarters, a Ukrinform correspondent reports.
“We will receive the first batch of 250,000 tonnes in October, maybe in 10 days, and this will be every month, under the available contracts, we will get 250,000 tonnes of coal from South Africa,” Hroisman said.
He said that coal imports will be carried out by both public and private companies.
“The Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry will make the purchases and state-owned enterprises, but, in addition, also private companies, including the one, about which you asked (DTEK – Ed.), the Minister said.
However, coal of Africa is more expensive than domestic, therefore, Ukraine is trying to restore fuel supplies from Donbas.
“As part of the peace plan of the President, we expect that we will have to restore the rail link and then the situation normalizes,” Hroisman said.
“However, we have a program of substitution of deficit with imported coal,” the Vice Prime Minister-Minister summed up.