Coal of Ukraine. Coal mining in Ukraine. Ton of coal: price

Coal is one of the main energy resources of Ukraine, which can be considered the engine of its economy. Today's state of the coal industry is very critical and requires supportive measures. This article discloses the structure of the industry, tells about the export and import of Ukrainian coal, its reserves, as well as an analysis of the main problems of mines operating on the territory of the country.

Coal as a guarantee of economic independence

Coal of Ukraine is the only energy source that the country is provided in sufficient quantities. The coal industry has a large share in the structure of the fuel and energy complex and significantly affects the state of the country's economy as a whole. Increasing the profitability of this industry contributes to the growth of Ukraine's economic potential. And in times of crises in the energy market, the entire coal industry and related industries suffer.

Profitability of the coal industry

Coal produced in the Donetsk basin has a high cost price. This is due to the great depth of bedding and low production capacity. High costs significantly reduce the profitability of the coal industry. To make the industry more profitable, economists recommend looking for opportunities to expand it and achieve a reduction in the cost of extracting useful deposits. The coal industry is considered to be profitable if the income from sales of coal exceeds the cost of production by at least 16%. Almost all the mines in Donbass do not meet this requirement and, according to some experts, should be closed.

Coal mines of Ukraine

About 150 mines operate on the territory of Ukraine, 90% of them are located in the Donbass region. On its territory there are about 100 operating mines that produce energy and high-quality coking coal, 14 mines have the status of independent state-owned enterprises, and 28 coal companies are privately owned.

The Lviv-Volyn basin occupies about 10 thousand km². The coal reserves in this territory are small, therefore only 15 of the 15 existing mines are planned to be left. The largest deposits of brown coal are in the Ternopil and Transcarpathian regions, as well as in the Pridneprovsky brown coal basin. In the Dnipropetrovsk region there are two coal enterprises: DTEK and Pavlogradugol, which have 10 mines at their disposal. More than 40 coal mines are located on the territory of the Lugansk region. In recent years, due to the difficult economic situation, some Ukrainian mines have been sold and leased out to private individuals for a long time.

Coal reserves in Ukraine

According to documented data, Ukraine has 33.873 billion tons of coal reserves, which makes 3.9% of world reserves. Of these, 15.351 billion tons accounted for anthracite and bituminous coal, the rest - lignite or lignite. According to expert assessments and analyzes, Ukraine should have enough of these reserves for 460 years.

Most of the reserves are located on the territory of the Donetsk, Pridneprovsky and Lviv-Volyn basins at considerable depth. The reserves of operating mines are 6.1 billion tons, of which the greater part is in anthracite, and the rest is in coking coal.

Types of coal produced

On the territory of Ukraine, three kinds of coal are mined: brown, stone and anthracite. Brown lies at a depth of up to 1 km and is a natural formation from dead organic remains, which has occurred under the influence of load and increased temperature. It is characterized by a comparatively low combustion temperature due to the high moisture content (about 40%). Half of its composition is formed by volatile substances.

Coal is considered the first type of fossil fuel. Its use caused an industrial revolution, under the influence of which the coal industry was born. Coal contains much less moisture (about 10%), which causes a high caloric value and a high combustion temperature. Volatile substances form 32% of its composition, so that coal is highly flammable. The layers of this fossil lie at a depth of about 3 km. Coal in Ukraine is mined in the mines of Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

Anthracite is the best grade of coal. It almost entirely consists of carbons. Anthracite is characterized by a large calorific value and high electrical conductivity. But because of its composition, it does not burn very well. This type of coal lies at a depth of 6 km. In general, anthracite deposits are located on the territory of mountain ranges or in other areas that have been subjected to strong movements of the earth's crust.

The cost of coal in Ukraine

Basically, the price of coal is formed taking into account such factors:

• Natural - climatic conditions in the region, location of the deposit, technical characteristics of local coal, depth and thickness of the reservoir, other geological conditions;
• Production - the material base of the mining enterprise, the equipment with special equipment and machinery.

Thus, experts calculate the total cost price and analyze the quality of fossil resources to determine how much a ton of coal costs. The price of each breed is significantly different. The most expensive species is anthracite. Its average cost is from 2000 to 2500 UAH / t. The cheapest in the market of natural fuels is brown coal (about 1000 UAH / t).

It should be borne in mind that the cost of fossil resources also depends on their brand and class. Thus, it is difficult to unequivocally say how much a ton of coal costs. The price of the breed today is free and is set directly by the extractive enterprises.

Export and import of coal of Ukraine

The Ukrainian industry uses coal to produce electricity and as a raw material in metallurgy. As for the energy coal - anthracite, his country is in abundant quantities. So, this kind of breed makes about 70% of all coal mining in Ukraine (it is often exported to other countries). At the same time, there is a large deficit of coking coal.

Thus, the coal of Ukraine meets the domestic needs of the country by 60%. The state imports the third part of coking coal from Russia, the USA, Kazakhstan and other countries. Almost all the volume of extracted anthracite is consumed by Ukrainian energy companies. The country exports extra quantity of fossil rock to Bulgaria, Poland, Turkey and Iran. Entering the European market with large volumes is difficult because of the large reserves of high-quality coal in Poland and Germany. Also, the increase in the supply of European fossil resources in Europe significantly influences the decline in export supplies. So, in recent years, the demand for coal in Ukraine has declined by 20%.

Problems of the coal industry

The Ukrainian coal industry has been in a crisis for a long time. According to the authorities, more than 70% of the fixed assets of this industry need updating and major repairs. For 30 years of continuous use, they have deteriorated significantly and require replacement. Despite the rapid scientific and technological development, a large number of mines still use mostly manual labor.

The bad condition of fixed capital is reflected in the quality of coal. When using worn-out equipment, the mined rocks are more soluble. Also, a bad and outdated technical base significantly affects the productivity of labor, increasing the value of the extracted rock.

Coal mining in Ukraine requires additional financing. The main sources of investment in the coal industry of the country are the state budget and own internal funds of mining enterprises. A considerable amount of capital is required for the development of this sphere of the national economy. And to attract investment from outside, you need to create attractive conditions for doing business.

In addition, the coal industry of Ukraine ranks first in terms of mortality and level of injuries in production. Despite all the actions of the authorities, the coal industry remains the most dangerous kind of national economy for workers' health. According to statistical data, when mining one million coal, two miners lose their lives on average.

An important problem of the Ukrainian coal industry is the large amount of methane emissions. The state is one of the five countries in the world in terms of these emissions (which account for 80% of operating mines). Experts actively develop projects for its utilization, but so far they have managed to create conditions for processing only 1/10 of all emissions.

Negatively, the development of the coal sector is affected by unregulated mining. Part of this production is 10% of the total volume of production of thermal coal.

Ways to improve the coal industry

To solve the described problems, it is necessary to conduct a whole range of measures aimed at the modernization, reconstruction and optimization of coal production. Such programs have already been implemented in some mines and have led to an increase in the profitability of operations.

Also, the state should intensify its energy policy and make some adjustments to it. To implement these goals, experts have created strategies for the development of important sectors of the economy and are working on large-scale energy economy projects.

Thus, for the coal of Ukraine to be competitive in the foreign market and to fully meet the domestic needs of the country, the state should work in two key areas: modernization of the industry and implementation of strategic reforms taking into account the current conditions of economic development.

Industry Prospects

Although Ukraine is currently experiencing an acute political and economic crisis, and some mines are forced to suspend operations, the country's coal industry has significant prospects. Considering how much coal is left in Ukraine, its production may become the most important strategic sector of the country in the future.

Taking into account the development trends of the coal industry of other countries and the capital intensity of extraction of own breeds, in modern times it is more profitable for Ukraine to buy coal abroad. If the country in the near future will solve the most important problems in this sphere, then the industry will very quickly develop and will be able to bring the country's economy to a new level.