Released September 12, 2014 | GALWAY, IRELAND
en
Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Ukraine has declared a state of emergency regarding electricity and is being forced to import coal from South Africa in order to keep its coal-fired power plants going.
Thermal power accounts for 40% of the country's electricity but fighting against Russian-backed rebels in the Crimea region has cut supplies from the country's coal mines.
This week, Ukraine Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk, told Parliament the country was importing one million tons of coal from South Africa to help alleviate the crisis.
"They [the rebels] bombed our main coal mines [...] and so the government has already signed an agreement on the supply of one million tons of coal from South Africa," he explained. "The first vessel is loading now."
Last week, Ukraine said that it has reduced electricity supplies to consumers in Crimea -- the region Russia helped annex in March -- and warned that supplies would be cut altogether unless the region adhered to lower quotas. Ukraine said it is facing rolling blackouts across the country unless it can reduce usage and stabilize power supplies in the face of fierce fighting. Crimea relies on Ukraine for about 80% of its electricity.
In retaliation, Russia has threatened to cut electricity supplies to parts of the Ukraine if it continues to ration supplies to Crimea.
"Separate parts of Ukraine are energy deficient and they receive electricity from Russia," Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told news media. "Whoever takes poor decisions to restrict supplies of electricity to the Crimea should understand that reciprocal measures are possible."
Ukraine's energy problems were made worse in June when Russian state owned gas giant Gazprom announced that it had cut gas supplies to Ukraine over non-payment of billions of euros in debt. For additional information, see June 20, 2014, article - Russia Halts Ukraine Gas Supplies.
This week, the European Union formally adopted new sanctions against Russia over its involvement in the Ukraine crisis. They include a ban on Russian state-owned energy and defense companies from raising capital in the European financial markets.
"A package of further restrictive measures against Russia has been adopted by the Council today, deepening the targeted measures of 31 July," explained European Union Council President Herman van Rompuy. "The sanctions aim at promoting a change of course in Russia's actions destabilizing eastern Ukraine and come in the wake of the European Council of 30 August, which condemned the increasing inflows of fighters and weapons from the territory of the Russian Federation into Eastern Ukraine and the aggression by Russian armed forces on Ukrainian soil."
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, three offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
Thermal power accounts for 40% of the country's electricity but fighting against Russian-backed rebels in the Crimea region has cut supplies from the country's coal mines.
This week, Ukraine Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk, told Parliament the country was importing one million tons of coal from South Africa to help alleviate the crisis.
"They [the rebels] bombed our main coal mines [...] and so the government has already signed an agreement on the supply of one million tons of coal from South Africa," he explained. "The first vessel is loading now."
Last week, Ukraine said that it has reduced electricity supplies to consumers in Crimea -- the region Russia helped annex in March -- and warned that supplies would be cut altogether unless the region adhered to lower quotas. Ukraine said it is facing rolling blackouts across the country unless it can reduce usage and stabilize power supplies in the face of fierce fighting. Crimea relies on Ukraine for about 80% of its electricity.
In retaliation, Russia has threatened to cut electricity supplies to parts of the Ukraine if it continues to ration supplies to Crimea.
"Separate parts of Ukraine are energy deficient and they receive electricity from Russia," Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told news media. "Whoever takes poor decisions to restrict supplies of electricity to the Crimea should understand that reciprocal measures are possible."
Ukraine's energy problems were made worse in June when Russian state owned gas giant Gazprom announced that it had cut gas supplies to Ukraine over non-payment of billions of euros in debt. For additional information, see June 20, 2014, article - Russia Halts Ukraine Gas Supplies.
This week, the European Union formally adopted new sanctions against Russia over its involvement in the Ukraine crisis. They include a ban on Russian state-owned energy and defense companies from raising capital in the European financial markets.
"A package of further restrictive measures against Russia has been adopted by the Council today, deepening the targeted measures of 31 July," explained European Union Council President Herman van Rompuy. "The sanctions aim at promoting a change of course in Russia's actions destabilizing eastern Ukraine and come in the wake of the European Council of 30 August, which condemned the increasing inflows of fighters and weapons from the territory of the Russian Federation into Eastern Ukraine and the aggression by Russian armed forces on Ukrainian soil."
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, three offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
