Combined heat and power plants (CHPPs) using anthracite will, if possible, be re-equipped to burn light coal, Minister of Energy Herman Haluschenko has said.

"Where it is possible to transfer plants for anthracite grade G, we will begin to do it, including private CHPPs," he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

According to the minister, the use of natural gas by thermal generation is considered only as a backup option.

"I really hope that it [gas] will not come in handy. There is no economy at a gas price of $1,800/1,000 cubic meters. Therefore, using it to produce electricity is already an extreme measure when the issue of national security arises," Haluschenko emphasized.

According to the order of the Ministry of Energy of July 13, 2022, a working group has been created to improve the energy efficiency of CHPPs, TPPs and switch to alternative fuels.

As reported, after Ukraine lost access to its anthracite deposits in the part of Donbas occupied in 2014-2015, the country imported anthracite either from Russia or through currently blocked seaports.