Coal shortage presents difficult choice for Ukraine
Picture: Focus Information Agency
Kyiv. With the rich seams of coal in eastern Ukraine under rebel control and Russia cutting off supplies, the Kyiv government faces the awkward prospect of turning to its enemies for help, AFP reported.
As winter set in, the biggest fear in recent months was that Ukraine would run out of the natural gas that heats the country.
A last minute deal with Russia averted that disaster. But now a new one is looming as coal shortages threaten to leave the country desperately short of electricity.
Ukraine gets some 40 percent of its power from coal-fired plants, and has traditionally had a surplus of coal, producing some 86 million tonnes at last count in 2012.
But the Russian-backed rebellion in the east has cut the government off from large swathes of the coal-rich mining region of Donbass.
Then, without warning, Russia announced it was stopping coal supplies to Ukraine last week, claiming “force majeure” but offering no explanation.
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