Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

STATE-RUN UKRENERGO SEES UAH 18 BLN IN NET LOSS IN H1

PrJSC Ukrenergo saw a net loss of UAH 18.31 billion in January-June 2020 compared to UAH 1.765 billion of net profit over the same period in 2019.
According to a report presented by the national energy company, its net income increased by seven times (by UAH 21.698 billion), to UAH 25.299 billion, in H1, 2020. Its gross loss amounted to UAH 16.756 billion in January-June 2020 against UAH 2.93 billion of gross profit over the same time in 2019.
As reported, Ukrenergo in 2019 reduced its net profit by 28.4% (by UAH 738.63 million) compared to 2018, to UAH 1.864 billion. Its net income over the past year increased by 4.4 times, to UAH 26.326 billion, gross profit doubled to UAH 6.245 billion, EBIDTA rose by 20.4%, to UAH 4.062 billion.
Ukrenergo operates trunk and interstate power grids, as well as performs the centralized dispatching of the country’s combined energy system. It is subordinate to the Ministry of Finance.

,

EBRD AND UKRENERGO DEVELOPING 200 MW ENERGY STORAGE PROJECT

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), together with Ukrenergo, is developing a project of building a 200 MW energy storage system to regulate frequency in the energy system, Olga Yeriomina, the EBRD senior banker for power and energy projects, said.
“The EBRD, together with Ukrenergo, is really working on a project to build an energy storage facility that would not need a feed-in tariff and that could solve the issue of regulatory capacities and reduce the price of electricity in the market. We are considering the possibility of financing a 200 MW construction,” she said at an online meeting at the Energy Club.
She clarified that the matter concerns a project, which is to be financed through an EBRD loan under state guarantees.
“With regard to regulation, Ukrenergo is obliged to provide system services, and these 200 MW will not participate in trading in the market, this will be a system service. An increase in the current tariff of the operator will not be required,” she added.
At the same time, she noted the growing need of the Ukrainian energy system for balancing capacities, which causes the need for the fastest government decisions in this direction.
“We see the situation with the shutdown of nuclear power plants. It’s hard for us now to figure out where the technical necessity is, where repairs are needed, and where administrative intervention is. But the faster the Ukrainian government structures would support our project idea, the faster the issue of flexible generating capacities would be resolved. There are a lot of distortions in the market, and we need to make up for time, take quick and decisive steps,” the banker said.

,

STATE-RUN UKRENERGO PLANS TO PRESENT DEVELOPMENTS ON CREATING R&D OFFICE

NEC Ukrenergo is working on a project to create its own research and development (R&D) office and expects to present its own vision of the office’s activities and tasks by the end of 2020.
“Ukrenergo has a consultation project with RTE International, and one of the cases of this project is to support us in creating R&D office of Ukrenergo. Now we are working on writing a roadmap, developing a structure, creating human resources, and formulating office’s tasks. I think that we will be able to present some specific developments by the end of the year,” Head of Strategic Planning and Analysis Division of NEC Ukrenergo Natalia Slobodian said during an online meeting at Energy Club on Thursday, April 30.
She said that R&D office will focus on solving the main problems in the energy system, optimizing the work taking into account changes in the economy, and quickly responding to challenges like those created now due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
“Ukrenergo has rather ambitious plans to follow national and global trends in creating leading and innovational products,” Slobodian said.
In her opinion, the benefits of state-owned companies from the creation of R&D offices are obvious, as concern for innovation increases the financial and investment attractiveness of enterprises, allows them to create highly intelligent jobs, and also makes the enterprises attractive to young professionals.
She also said that there is an opportunity to involve grant support for the work of such offices, and additional financial resources are not required for the commercialization of the products they create.
“There is no need to spend money on the commercialization of all the products that R&D offices make. They immediately test the products in market conditions and at once bring them to the market, creating demand in this way,” Slobodian said.
Ultimately, in her opinion, all efforts to introduce innovative technologies are aimed at improving the quality of customer service and providing them with additional opportunities. “The beneficial owner is a consumer by 100%. He gets a stable energy supply, cheap electricity and the opportunity to get market benefits via innovation,” Slobodian said.

UKRENERGO SAVES 15% ON PROCUREMENT

National energy company Ukrenergo during procurement of goods, labor and services in 2019 saved 15% (UAH 219 million) of their expected cost, the company’s press service has reported. According to the company, the total volume of more than 5,000 procurement tenders last year was UAH 1.25 billion. The share of construction, reconstruction, repair and design services was 27% (UAH 342.9 million), economic goods – 21% (UAH 263 million) and basic equipment – 20% (UAH 243.2 million).
“Since 2016, we have reviewed almost all estimates and project decisions, thanks to which we have received two-digit figure savings. However, such a high indicator is positive only at the initial stages of the procurement system reform, when the expected prices are too high. Today, we have switched to careful procurement planning, when the savings depends only on competition at the auction,” Head of Ukrenergo Vsevolod Kovalchuk said.

UKRENERGO SAVES 15% ON PROCUREMENT

National energy company Ukrenergo during procurement of goods, labor and services in 2019 saved 15% (UAH 219 million) of their expected cost, the company’s press service has reported. According to the company, the total volume of more than 5,000 procurement tenders last year was UAH 1.25 billion. The share of construction, reconstruction, repair and design services was 27% (UAH 342.9 million), economic goods – 21% (UAH 263 million) and basic equipment – 20% (UAH 243.2 million).
“Since 2016, we have reviewed almost all estimates and project decisions, thanks to which we have received two-digit figure savings. However, such a high indicator is positive only at the initial stages of the procurement system reform, when the expected prices are too high. Today, we have switched to careful procurement planning, when the savings depends only on competition at the auction,” Head of Ukrenergo Vsevolod Kovalchuk said.

NATIONAL ENERGY COMPANY UKRENERGO LIMITS LOADING GENERATION OF WIND FARMS AND SOLAR POWER PLANTS

National Energy Company Ukrenergo on January 7, 2020 due to abnormally warm temperatures for this period of the year restricted loading generation of six large wind farms by 384 MW and eight solar power plants (SPP) by 545 MW in the period from 12:09 through 13:00, the company’s press service has reported.
Ukrenergo said that on that day, the average daily air temperature was -2.4°С, which is 4°С higher than the one on January 7 last year. Accordingly, consumption on January 7, 2020, decreased by 47.6 million kWh or 10.6% compared to the same period of the previous year (394 million kWh versus 441 million kWh).
Prior to this, all applications of balancing market players were used, electricity imports to the Integrated Power System (IPS) of Ukraine from Belarus and the Russian Federation were limited to zero, and the thermal power plants (TPP) generation was also limited by 1,350 MW.
Besides, at the moment of a sharp leap in the renewable energy generation from 12:09 to 13:00, there has already been no possibility to switch to the pumping mode the hydroelectric generators of pumped storage power plants (PSPP) since at that moment their reservoirs have already been filled.
At the same time, it is worth noting that due to the short-term nature of the balance deviations nuclear power plants (NPP) loading was not restricted.
“Therefore, in order to balance the power system and ensure its operational safety, NPC Ukrenergo dispatchers had to restrict the loading of powerful wind farms and SPPs,” the company said.
After that, from 13:00 to 13:46, all wind farms and SPP generation restrictions were rescinded.

, , , ,