Coal mining enterprises in Ukraine in January-March 2019 reduced run-of-mine (ROM) coal production by 7.1% (by 594,500 tonnes) compared to the same period in 2018, to 7.765 million tonnes.
According to the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry, extraction of coking coal during the reporting period decreased by 24% (by 387,400 tonnes), to 1.227 million tonnes, and steam coal fell by 3.1% (by 207,100 tonnes), to 6.537 million tonnes.
Krasnolymanske LLC, under control of Vitaliy Kropachev, continued hiding information about its operations from the ministry started in September 2018.
The ministry said that in March 2019, ROM coal production fell by 11.9% (360,400 tonnes) compared with March 2018, to 2,664 million tonnes.
Coal mining enterprises managed by the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry reduced coal production by 19.5% (by 230,900 tonnes), to 955,500 tonnes, in particular extraction of coking coal grew by 10.1%, to 165,800 tonnes, while steam coal production fell by 23.8%, to 789,700 tonnes.
Mines in Donetsk region produced 2.524 million tonnes of coal (14% less compared with January-March 2018), Luhansk region some 111,700 tonnes (23.7% less), Dnipropetrovsk region some 4.74 million tonnes (2% less), Lviv region some 374,300 tonnes (8.6% less), and Volyn region some 14,300 tonnes (52.2% less).
PJSC Ukrnafta in March 2019 increased oil and condensate production by 6.4% (7,700 tonnes) compared to March 2018, to 128,800 tonnes, the press service of the company has reported.
Natural gas production increased by 12.9% (11.4 million cubic meters), to 100.1 million cubic meters.
The average daily production, respectively, amounted to 4,200 tonnes of oil and 3.2 million cubic meters of gas.
As reported, according to the non-audited statements, in 2018 Ukrnafta received UAH 6.628 billion of net profit against UAH 101.771 million of profit for 2017.
Last year, the company increased its oil and gas condensate production by 5% compared with 2017, to 1.448 million tonnes. Gas production decreased by 2.3%, to 1.082 billion cubic meters, production of liquefied gas by 5.2%, to 110,000 tonnes.
GAS, OIL, PRODUCTION, UKRNAFTA
KSG Agro in 2019 will double the production capacity for pellets from agricultural raw materials, to 2,000 tonnes, the press service of the agroholding has reported.
“Currently, the productivity of the workshop [Dnipropetrovsk region] is 5 tonnes of fuel pellets per shift. After upgrading the production line, a capacity of 10 tonnes per shift [about 2,000 tonnes per year] will be achieved,” the company said in a press release.
According to KSG Agro, work on the modernization of the plant will be completed by the beginning of the heating season of 2019-2020.
“The raw material for pellet production is our own waste from crop production, mainly sunflower. The production volume covers the needs of biofuel boilers served by the holding,” Serhiy Kasyanov, the chairman of the board of KSG Agro, said.
KSG Agro in 2017-2018 installed nine biofuel boiler houses with a total capacity of 8.35 MW, which produce more than 1,000 Gcal of heat per heating season (160 days).
Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises in February 2019 increased steel production by 5% compared to the same period in 2018, to 1.689 million tonnes, staying on 13th place in the ranking of 64 countries, the major global manufacturers of these products, compiled by the World Steel Association (Worldsteel).
A decrease in steel production in most of the top ten countries, except for China, India, the United States and South Korea was recorded in February.
The top ten producer countries in February are as follows: China (70.988 million tonnes, an increase of 9.2%), India (8.738 million tonnes, a rise of 2.3%), Japan (7.743 million tonnes, a drop of 6.6%), the United States (6.896 million tonnes, an increase of 4.6%), South Korea (5.471 million tonnes, a rise of 1.1%), the Russian Federation (5.23 million tonnes, a fall of 4.4%), Germany (3.12 million tonnes, a decrease of 9.4%), Brazil (2.662 million tonnes, a fall of 1.7%), Turkey (2.635 million tonnes, a drop of 12.5%), and Italy (2.046 million tonnes, a fall of 2.7%).
They are followed by Iran (2.015 million tonnes, an increase of 21.7%), Taiwan (1.815 million tonnes, a rise of 22.5%), and Ukraine (1.689 million tonnes, a rise of 5%).
Smart Energy group, following the results of drilling and overhaul projects, has reached the daily production of natural gas in the amount of one million cubic meters (mcm), the press service of the group has said.
Among the successful well overhaul projects, Smart Energy noted the decommissioning of well No. 1 in Ostroverkhivske gas condensate field (Kharkiv region), located in the license area of Ukrgazvydobuvannia.
As reported, in 2019 the group plans to invest about UAH 1 billion in the increase of natural gas production.
Earlier, in January 2019, the group announced that it had reached a historic daily maximum of 960,000 cubic meters of gas.
Smart Energy is a management company that is part of Vadim Novinsky’s Smart-Holding. It is engaged in the implementation of projects in the field of hydrocarbon production and alternative energy.
Production of natural gas in Ukraine in January and February 2019 increased by 2.8% (by 94.5 million cubic meters) compared to the same period in 2018, to 3.46 billion cubic meters, according to current data from PJSC Ukrtransgaz.
According to calculations by Interfax-Ukraine, in particular gas production by JSC Ukrgazvydobuvannia amounted to 2.542 billion cubic meters (2.7% up from January-February 2018), PJSC Ukrnafta to 189.2 million cubic meters (9.6% up), by other companies to 728.9 million cubic meters (1.5% up).
In February 2019, gas production amounted to 1.644 billion cubic meters (3.3% up compared to February 2018), in particular extraction by Ukrgazvydobuvannia was 1.207 billion cubic meters (3% up), Ukrnafta some 90.4 million cubic meters (10.7% up), other companies some 346.8 million cubic meters (2.4% up).
Ukrtransgaz, fully owned by Naftogaz Ukrainy, operates a system of trunk gas pipelines and 12 underground gas storage facilities of the country with a total capacity of 31 billion cubic meters.