In three years Ukraine will be forced to cover deficit of electricity by importing it in the event of further non-fulfillment of the national plan for the reduction of emissions from large combustion plants at TPPs.

This opinion was expressed by Vitaliy Zaichenko, the director for management of the integrated power system of Ukraine, the chief dispatcher of Ukrenergo, during the Energy Freedom talk show with Andriy Kulikov.

"A situation may arise when in three years the system will not have enough thermal generation. The only way to cover our consumption without disconnecting consumers is to receive electricity from our neighbors. We will have to receive part of the energy to cover demand through imports," he said.

According to Zaichenko, in recent years, the national plan for the reduction of emissions from large combustion plants has not been carried out in Ukraine. If this trend continues, thermal generating companies will not be able to maintain in operation about 12 GW of the required capacities at TPPs to cover peak and semi-peak loads in order to balance the operation of the power system.

During the talk show, a member of the directorate of PJSC Centrenergo, Serhiy Kolesnikov, also expressed a similar opinion.

"In two or three years it will be difficult to ensure the legitimate operation of 12 GW of thermal power units. We will pass through the next heating winter period with this composition of equipment, in terms of ecology. However, in a year or two it will be difficult to do this," he stressed.

The total cost of environmental measures at thermal power units under the plan to reduce emissions until the end of 2033 is estimated at UAH 4.3 billion. At the same time, the highest volumes of investments in the ecological modernization of TPPs should be carried out in 2024-2025 in the amount of EUR 544 million and EUR6 36 million, respectively.

In Ukraine, to date, the sources of funding for the emission reduction plan at TPPs have not been defined.