DTEK urges for problems in energy sector to not be made political
DTEK believes the accusation that it organized protests by miners employed by the company is a desire to shift responsibility for the serious crisis in the energy sector to the company and an attempt by officials to avoid responsibility for their thoughtless policy towards coalmines and energy companies.
"We call on all sides [of the conflict] not to transfer economic problems into the political area. Now, first of all, we should hear the demands of people and lift social tension," DTEK said in a statement on Thursday.
DTEK believes that the country should urgently focus on balancing energy, taking into account the real needs of all the market players, and prepare for the next heating season.
It has called on the Energy and Coal Industry Ministry to urgently start executing the law on the principles of the functioning of the Ukrainian electricity market, towards introducing a transparent and clear set of rules on how the sector functions, with the involvement of workers, trade unions, energy companies, and experts on implementing reforms.
DTEK said that over the past ten years the company has not received coal subsidies, the company paid wages on time, and when hostilities began the company made every possible effort to ensure the operation of the energy system. The company said that 28 of its employees have been killed restoring power lines and almost 1,500 employees and 1,000 machinery units were mobilized for the needs of the military.
According to the statement, attempts at shifting responsibility for the protests onto DTEK ignores the the thousands of strikes of Ukrainian miners at state coalmines: Volynvuhillia, Lvivvuhillia, Selidovvuhillia and Krasnoarmiyskvuhillia.
"DTEK produced over 65% of all Ukrainian coal in Q1 2015, and reiterated that the company is ready to buy coal from state-run coalmines in the Lviv-Volyn basin at the market price, which cannot be lower than the price of Russian or Australian mines. The Energy and Coal Industry Ministry, and the National Commission of Ukraine for Energy, Housing and Utilities Services Regulation (NCER), are obliged to provide for the relevant tariff and 100% payment for electricity generated by thermal power plants," the company said.
