Director of CDE outlines the future of coal-fired generation in Ukraine
Kyiv • UNN
Ukraine must decommission its coal-fired power plants by 2035 to join the EU. In their place, new capacities of 1.3 GW and battery storage systems will be built.
The future of coal-fired generation in general is a complex issue, as Ukraine must gradually decommission such capacities and replace them with new energy sources. This was stated by Oleksandr Kharchenko, Director of the Energy Industry Research Center (EIRC), during a briefing at the Ukraine Crisis Media Center on May 27, reports UNN.
He explained what will happen to coal-fired energy sources using the example of the Trypilska TPP in the Kyiv region.
Details
According to Kharchenko, the Trypilska TPP should not be viewed as a separate critically important facility specifically for Kyiv, as the capital operates within the country's unified power grid.
"I wouldn't talk about the Trypilska TPP as something isolated here, because in reality, Kyiv is connected to the all-Ukrainian grid, and the grid is unified. Yes, the Trypilska TPP represents a certain amount of generation, but nothing more; overall, it is not that fundamental,"
He noted that the situation with coal generation in Ukraine remains difficult. According to him, even if the country manages to obtain technical assistance to restore damaged capacities, in the medium term, coal plants will still have to be decommissioned.
"The situation with coal generation is quite difficult because, while we might still manage to get technical assistance for restoration, even in the short-term perspective of 2030-2032-2035, everyone unanimously says that we must phase out coal capacity from operation,"
Why Ukraine must abandon coal-fired CHPs
The expert explained that this is due to climate requirements and Ukraine's aspiration to become a member of the European Union.
"From the perspective of climate requirements, and from the perspective that we want to be members of the European Union, there is an unequivocal position, there are no discussions there — simply close them. This requires Ukraine to build large capacities that will replace what leaves the system,"
At the same time, he emphasized that the government and the Ministry of Energy understand this problem, and the state is already trying to use available tools to stimulate the construction of new generation.
"The good news is that I see an understanding of this in the government, I see an understanding of this in the Ministry of Energy. They are trying to use the tools available to them to stimulate new generation, new construction,"
He specified that a tender for 1.3 GW of new capacity is expected to be announced in the near future. These are projects that will receive certain state support, and investors will have additional guarantees.
"In the near future, a tender will be announced for 1.3 gigawatts of new capacity, which will be supported by the state in a certain way, and investors will have certain additional guarantees. Therefore, I think there will indeed be participants, there will be people who will build new capacities,"
According to Kharchenko's assessment, the issue of replacing coal generation needs to be resolved within the next 3-4 years. If this is not done, after 2030, Ukraine could become significantly dependent on electricity imports.
Coal energy in Ukraine: what to replace it with and how
Separately, he noted that Ukraine needs to develop not only new generation but also battery storage systems. According to him, private investment is already entering this sector.
"We must build new capacities, we must build battery systems. They are being built; large private investments are happening now. There is hope that about a gigawatt of battery systems will be built this year, and approximately the same number of projects is already planned for next year,"
At the same time, Kharchenko emphasized that the pace of developing new capacities is currently insufficient.
"This process is happening, but it is not yet on the scale we would like to see; it is a bit too small. I hope that in a year or a year and a half, we will be able to speed up this flywheel,"
According to him, to achieve this, Ukraine needs to simultaneously solve energy market problems, particularly issues of transparency, financial viability, and debts, while also utilizing existing advantages — the need for new capacities and the commercial interest of investors.
Reminder
During the briefing, Oleksandr Kharchenko also emphasized that all of Kyiv's CHPs will be restored by winter, but risks of new shelling remain. Backup heating is already being prepared for most of the capital's buildings.