Given that high-volatile steam coal is a highly reactive fuel prone to self-combustion, the key task for the power engineers is to ensure safety during operation. Energy workers undertook a massive effort to renovate boiler burners, install fire-fighting system, prevent accumulation of highly-combustible coal dust on the equipment, and install a temperature and oxygen controls in the pulverised-coal system of the boiler.
On 22 August, having completed the boiler renovation, DTEK Myronivska TPP began startup activities to test and set up the pulverised coal and fuel feeding systems transferred to high-volatile steam coal. Today the power plant produces electricity for Ukraine's power grid using its two boilers operating on high-volatile steam coal for Unit 5. There is 22.7 tonnes of coal in stock at the Myronivska TPP. As of 23 August, the power plant has in operation Boiler 10, switched to G grade, and Unit 5 carrying a load of 32 MW as per the dispatcher's schedule.
"Maximising the utilisation of grade G-fired thermal capacities is DTEK's priority. Conversion of the Myronivska TPP boiler unit is the first step towards gradual re-equipment of the Company's anthracite-fired TPPs to burn highly-reactive coal. By the beginning of the winter period, DTEK Prydniprovska TPP will have Units 7 and 8 transferred to grade G coal. This will allow thermal power producers to ensure a more reliable balance in the power grid during peak demand and help strengthen Ukraine's energy independence," said Sergey Kurilenko, Electricity Generation Director of DTEK Energy.
It is worth mentioning that the blockade of the coal shipments from Donbass left Ukrainian power plants without anthracite. Ukraine is heading for energy independence: substitution of domestic high-volatile steam coal for imported anthracite. To ensure stable operation of the power grid and uninterrupted energy supply to consumers, DTEK is now importing 675 kt of anthracite from the South Africa as a temporary measure while at the same time transferring the anthracite-fuelled units to high-volatile steam coal.
Today DTEK's thermal power plants running on high-volatile steam coal carry the maximum load and meet 27.3% of Ukraine's electricity demand during the summer peak of consumption.