Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galouchchenko in Brussels on March 28, 2023, during a transport, telecommunications and energy council (AFP/Archives/Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD)
The destruction of coal mines and the shutdown of certain power plants in Ukraine are pushing the country to look for other solutions to supply itself with energy: the energy transition to wind turbines and solar panels “will happen faster than expected”, assures Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko.
When the Russian army returned to Ukraine two years ago “their tanks destroyed eleven coal mines”, explains Mr. Galushchenko, met by AFP on the sidelines of the summit of the International Energy Agency (IEA). ) this week in Paris.
“They did it on purpose” to weaken Ukraine’s productive and energy capacities, “and we will not put them back into operation.”
Today, there are only “four to five coal mines still in operation” in the country, and in the midst of war, Ukraine has managed to develop other, cleaner forms of energy, notably solar and wind. and less CO2 emitting, underlines the minister.
– Remove charcoal –
Furthermore, “there are eight thermal power plants in the territories not occupied by the Russians, seven of which are operational and all run on coal, but can also produce electricity from gas if necessary” he specifies. . Three thermal power plants have been rendered unusable by the war since 2022.
Ultimately, “we want to eliminate coal of course” for climatic reasons, adds the minister. “The transition will happen faster than expected because of the war,” according to him.
Unlike the “constant” power cuts during the first year of the war, Ukraine is managing to better avoid power supply disruptions this winter, says Mr. Galushchenko.
Even if the country has sometimes had to import electricity, it “repairs very quickly” when power plants are shut down, in particular thanks to European and international financial support for the energy sector.
In Ukraine, preparations and construction of a trench system in the Zaporizhia region, where Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is located, January 30, 2024 (AFP/Archives/Roman PILIPEY)
Ukraine currently has an “electricity production capacity of 18 gigawatts per day”, thanks to the nine nuclear reactors still in operation (in three power plants, editor’s note), since the Russian occupation of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. , that of Zaporizhia, made up of six reactors all shut down. “Which is enough to provide electricity even during peak hours,” he says.
“We are arriving at the end of winter without major restrictions for customers, that is good news, and it also allows the economy to grow,” he adds.
According to the French Institute of Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) which provides weekly monitoring of Ukrainian nuclear power plants, questioned in parallel by AFP, a “meltdown accident in the core of the power plant” is “always possible” in Zaporizhia , particularly in the event of a breakdown in the electrical or water supply to power the cooling circuits.
– New nuclear reactors –
“But the radiological consequences would be much more limited than if the reactors were still in service,” said Karine Herviou, deputy director of IRSN.
At the same time, Ukraine emphasizes wind or solar fields.
Last year, Ukraine built “around 200 megawatts” of wind power generation capacity, and “around 150 megawatts” of new solar generation capacity. “It’s not much,” but “I can say that it’s because of the war,” says Mr. Galushchenko.
On the left, Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko with the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi (right) on February 6, 2024 in kyiv (AFP/Archives/Roman PILIPEY)
Ultimately, to meet European needs for green or decarbonized hydrogen, produced from renewable or nuclear electricity, Ukraine estimates that it will be able to produce “3 to 5 million tonnes of hydrogen” per year.
“The question that remains, the most difficult, is that of transporting hydrogen” to Europe (…), “but I am sure that a solution could be found” he emphasizes, “we We even signed hydrogen agreements with the United States.
Looking into the future, the minister highlights the “enormous” land capacity for projects of this type, “for example on agricultural land rendered unusable” for crops by the pollution and destruction of fighting.
Ukraine also plans to build new nuclear reactors to compensate for the absence of Zaporizhia.
The country announced “four new reactors” at its Khmelnytsky power plant in the west of the country. Two Russian-designed reactors “of the VVER-1000 type” would be purchased “from Bulgaria”, and two others “of the AP-1000 type” would come from the American company Westinghouse.
Some experts, however, remain skeptical of this project, estimating that no new reactor could be operational for ten years at the earliest and judging those in Bulgaria too obsolete.
© 2024 AFP
Did you like this article ? Share it with your friends using the buttons below.
