In Ukraine, the penultimate anthracite thermal power plant located on the controlled territory - the Slovyanska TPP in Mykolaivka was stopped, according to the daily statistics of the Ministry of Energy on TPPs' coal depots.
As of 18 April, only Luhanska TPP in Schastya that operates separately from the UES of Ukraine and is the only stable source of electricity for the northern part of Luhansk Region, continues working.
On 5 April, Trypilska (Centrenergo) and Prydniprovska (DTEK) power stations stopped operating to save anthracite coal. On the next day, Zmiyivska TPP (Centrenrego), and on 11 April Kryvyy Rih TPP (DTEK) stopped working.
All 14 Ukrainian thermal power stations fully or in part work on coal. Of these, seven are using the coals of anthracite group "A" and "T", which grew scarce after Donbas coal mines were seized by separatists.
In early 2017, three railway branches were leading to Donbas were blocked by activists, which halted the supplies of anthracite coal to Ukrainian TPPs. In a short while, the NSDC legalized the blockade.
Due to the discontinuance of supplies from Donbas, Ukraine embarked launched imports of anthracite. In Q1 2017, Russia was the biggest supplier of coal to Ukraine.