A ship carrying anthracite coal from South Africa for the Centrenergo power generating company has entered the Black Sea, the power generating company’s spokesperson Oksana Yehorova told the Interfax Ukraine news agency.
According to Yehorova, the arrival of the vessel at a Ukrainian port was delayed because of a long line at the Bosporus Strait. The ship is carrying 168,000 tons of coal of South African origin, and it is expected to moor at a Ukrainian port on 5 December.
The coal is being delivered based on a direct bilateral agreement that was signed with the international trader Mercuria Energy Trading SA (Switzerland) at the end of September 2015.
As reported, Minister of Energy and Coal Industry Volodymyr Demchyshyn said in in late November that about 250,000 tons of coal from South Africa was expected to be delivered to Odessa ports during the period of 4-12 December. In addition, Centrenergo signed a contract for delivery of about 170,000 tons of thermal coal from South Africa in the period of January-February 2016. Two vessels carrying this quantity of coal from South Africa are expected to arrive after January 20.
Centrenergo’s head Oleh Kozemko said in September that the price of coal from South Africa was USD 65 per ton (CIF) with a calorific value of 5,500 kcal/kg.
Centrenergo operates the Uglegorsk, Zmiev, and Tripolis thermoelectric power stations, which have a combined installed capacity of 7,550 MW. The state, represented by the Ministry of Energy, owns a 78.3% stake in the company. The generating company is on the list of assets planned for privatization.
