Ukraine will face the problems of unemployment in coal mining industry and declining of the mining regions because of the need to close unprofitable state mines by 2025, as stipulated by the Ukrainian Energy Strategy and international commitments.
This was stated by the General Director of the Fossil Fuels Directorate of the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine, Maksym Fedotov, UNIAN informs.
“A large number of enterprises have been closed over 20-year restructuring period. Today, the state coal mining sector comprises about 40,000 workers, that is, 30 state mines in the sector. The problem we are going to face is the employee dismissal and decline of the mining regions in the period up to 2025,” the General Director said.
According to Fedotov, the Energy Strategy of Ukraine provides for the reformation of the coal industry until 2035. Ukraine’s international obligations as for joining the energy community oblige the state to reduce the share of coal in the primary electricity supply, which is likely to lead to the closure of coal enterprises in the future.
Meanwhile, today the state has the only one program providing for the liquidation of enterprises and the payment of social guarantees to employees.
“To date, the ministry has to develop a social program for the re-conversion of the mining regions. The key objective is to upgrade the infrastructure and create new jobs,” Fedotov stressed.
As The Journalist reported, the miners from Halychyna region held protest action near Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry.
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