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systems of Belarus and Russia.
Energy regulators decided in January on a 50:50 split on a $360mn loan from state banks to Ukrenergo,​ the state power transmission operator. Coming from Ukreximbank, Oschadbank and Ukrgasbank, half of the money goes to pay overdue debts to renewable energy producers and half to Energoatom, the state nuclear power plant operator. For renewables, this $186mn only represents 23% of total overdue debt the government is legally committed to repaying by the end of this year. Since August, Ukrenergo’s tariffs almost doubled, allowing the company to stay almost current on new power purchases from solar and wind companies. However, Ukrenergo still faces repaying about $625mn in unpaid debt from 2020.
Ukraine in 2020 reduced the export of electricity by 26.5% (by 1.715bn kWh) compared to 2019​, to 4.754bn kWh, according to the data of NPC Ukrenergo.
According to the calculations of Interfax-Ukraine, the supply of electricity from the Burshtyn TPP energy island to Hungary, Slovakia and Romania decreased 32.1% (by 1.428bn kWh), to 3.02bn kWh.
Electricity supplies to Poland grew by 7.8% (by 107.3mn kWh), to 1.484bn kWh. Electricity supplies to Moldova decreased 74.1% (by 476.9mn kWh), to 167.1mn kWh. Export to Belarus amounted to 82.8mn kWh.
Ukrainian electricity was not exported to Russia.
At the same time, Ukraine in 2020 also cut electricity imports by 15.3% (by 413.7mn kWh) compared to 2019, to 2.285bn kWh, including 1.474bn kWh supplied from Slovakia, 516mn kWh from Hungary, 152.3mn kWh from Belarus, 89.4mn kWh from Romania, and 53.4mn kWh from the Russian Federation.
9.1.10 ​Renewables sector news
Foreign investment in solar and wind power dropped last year to €1.2bn, one third the €3.7bn of 2019, ​reported the State Energy Efficiency Agency. In 2019, investors from a dozen countries commissioned 4.5 gigawatts of renewables, racing to commission projects in time to win high green tariffs. But one year ago, the government started to fall behind on payments, running up an overdue bill now near $1bn. Carryover projects accounted for most of the 2020 investment. Today, there are only a handful of new projects as investors wait for the government to honor its promise last summer to pay the bills.
With only 40% of last year’s bills not paid to solar and wind energy producers, the government should pay up​ – or risk further tarnishing the nation’s investment image, the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine warned yesterday. Charging that the government is in violation of the repayment signed into law last August, the Chamber said more delays “will pose a direct threat to the investment climate in the country.
9.1.11 ​Metallurgy & mining sector news
70​ UKRAINE Country Report​ February 2021 ​ ​www.intellinews.com
Ukraine’s coal production fell by 7% last year, hitting 29mn tons​, near the level of 1916, reports the Energy Ministry. Employment in coal mines is about