Zelensky issues warning to the EU

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The Ukrainian president, while addressing the nation on Saturday evening, said he had ordered that work be speeded up on upgrading a power transmission line from Ukraine’s Khmelnytskyi nuclear plant to Poland. According to the news reports, Ukraine and Poland are increasing this year’s production of thermal coal, the most polluting fossil fuel, preparing for colder months as Europe grapples with an energy security crisis exacerbated by the war in Ukraine.

He said: “I have instructed the cabinet to work out the possibility of urgently supplying 100,000 tonnes of thermal coal to Poland right now.

“We have sufficient volumes for ourselves and we can help our brothers to prepare for this winter.”

Poland, which relies on coal for around 70 percent of its electricity generation, has introduced measures that will subsidise coal for households using fuel for heating purposes to mitigate surging prices.

Ukraine wants to increase electricity exports to the European Union to boost cash flow to its utilities hit by a drop in electricity use since the Russian invasion.

President Zelensky said work on upgrading the power transmission line from the Khmelnytskyi plant to the Polish city of Rzeszow needed to be completed by December 8.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Friday that Warsaw was interested in buying power from the facility.

Mr Morawiecki held meetings with the Ukrainian president to discuss the geopolitical situation, the energy market, energy and military security, his spokesman said.

He told a news briefing he held along with President Zelensky: “We could use some electricity from Ukraine.

“I heard from President Zelensky that Ukraine will soon be ready to sell power from Khmelnytskyi and I thanked him for that.”

Meanwhile, Ukrainian electricity would help the EU cope with reduced gas supplies from Russia.

Ukraine is already selling some electricity to Hungary and Slovakia, along with some 200 megawatts (MW) of power to Poland.

An additional 1,000 MW of electricity could flow via a power cable linking Ukraine’s Khmelnytskyi plant and Poland, a possibility that Mr Morawiecki was referring to.

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The link, idled since the 1990s, is scheduled to reopen by the end of the year after necessary upgrades.

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