UKRAINE

Even before Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Ukraine’s coal fleet of 21,477 megawatts (MW) (operating and mothballed units) was struggling with high incidences of operational failure and a lack of coal supplies. Two coal plants in the Donetsk region with 3,300 MW of capacity were already seized by pro-Russian separatists in 2015. Most coal plants were over 40 years old, and several plants were facing a half-century of wear and tear and were operating at a limited capacity. Coal supplies from the Donbass region in Eastern Ukraine stopped almost entirely in mid-2014 and 2015 due to destroyed coal mines and transportation infrastructure following Russia’s seizure of Crimea. A draft report prepared by Ukrenergo, Ukraine’s transmission utility, before Russia's 2022 invasion estimated that the aging fleet could be slashed from 18,400 MW of capacity to just 2,500 MW by 2030.

Since the start of the war, Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have caused significant damage, with every thermal power plant impacted. In 2022, Russian occupiers took control of four of Ukraine’s coal plants with over 4,000 MW of capacity. The operating capacity of coal plants in the country was more than halved between 2022 and the beginning of 2023. Further large-scale attacks in 2024 reportedly destroyed most of the thermal power stations, leaving only a few coal units still in active operation. Damage to the infrastructure and the resulting grid volatility have resulted in blackouts across the country, also impacting district heating and water supply in many cities. The Ukrainian government has called for a “green reconstruction” post-war, ensuring a sustainable and equitable future for all Ukrainians.

In 2021, Ukraine joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance and committed to end coal power by 2035. Under the Paris Agreement, the country aims to reduce its emissions by 65% below 1990 levels by 2030. The commitment is conditional on international assistance, even though it is classified as a developed country by the UN, and on “stable and predictable trade policy and the absence of restrictions and barriers,” a coded reference to the EU’s proposed carbon tariff on certain imports. Ukraine's biggest private utility, DTEK, also joined the Alliance, adding, however, that it was committing to powering operations without coal by 2040, not 2035. Ukraine is a member of the Energy Community Treaty, which requires members to meet the obligations of the Large Combustion Plants Directive.