OREANDA-NEWS. August 12, 2010. Due to extremely high temperatures and increased power consumption by 25% in the last days the thermal power plants are using autumn-winter peak load, consuming daily more than 100 tons of coal – the First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Andriy Klyuev said during the extended telephone conference with the heads of regional state administrations, Kyiv and Sevastopol state administrations and the Council of Ministers of Crimea.

Andrei Klyuyev noted that in some regions that suffer most from heat, electricity consumption exceeded the peak winter season.

According to him, it slows down the pace of accumulation of coal by power station in warehouses to cover its deficit in winter and it requires the immediate decision. Such modes of power stations need extra attention to the state of power equipment and electrical networks at high temperatures and maximum electrical loads, Andriy Klyuyev said.

At the meeting he had requested the leadership of Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Coal Industry, "Energy Company of Ukraine", OJSC "Ukrhydroenerho", "Energoatom", "Ukrenergo", "Naftogaz Ukraine" to take all necessary measures to ensure reliable provision of electricity, coal and natural gas for population and economy industries, both now and in the autumn-winter period. He also instructed to carefully review the work schedules and routine repairs at nuclear and heat power station.

The First Vice Prime Minister recalled that with the purpose of timely preparation of fuel and energy complex, housing and the social sphere to the stable operation in the autumn-winter 2010-2011, the Government has issued in April this year the order number 998, which set specific targets for central and local executive authorities to hold the appropriate work. To check the status of its implementation Andriy Klyuev held a meeting on June 7 this year on consumer payments and repayment of the used gas, electricity and heat. July 22, Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov held the meeting with heads of regional administrations to prepare the economy to work in winter.

But still not all government tasks are performed in full volume, Andriy Klyuyev said. According to him the following are behind the terms:

integrated preparation of houses - Lugansk (50.1%), Cherkassy (51.2%), Chernivtsi (51.3%) Kherson (52.5%) regions (average in Ukraine - 62,1%);

preparation of schools Sevastopol - (54.5%), Volyn (40.3%), Poltava (41.9%), Lugansk (50.1%) and Ternopil (56.6%) regions (average in Ukraine - 69.2%);

the preparation of boilers - Kherson (48.5%), Cherkassy (51.2%), Luhansk (60%), Poltava (55.3%), Sumy (58.9%), Ternopil (58%) region (average in Ukraine - 67.1%);

the replacement of heating networks - the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (50.9%), Transcarpathian (53.3%), Zaporizhzhya (51.6%), Lugansk (51.6%), Poltava (53.5%), Kherson (44, 8%), Cherkassy (55%) and Kyiv Oblast (47.2%) (average in Ukraine - 62,1%).

Andriy Klyuev criticized the level of preparation for winter in Cherkasy region and asked the leadership of MinZhKH to put this area under special control. He also ordered a number of ministries and departments to send their representatives in several regions, in particular - to Poltava and Kherson to help to accelerate the preparations for the heating season.

The First Vice Prime Minister said that requires all heads of central executive bodies, local authorities under the sole responsibility to strengthen the oversight of debt used for consumption of natural gas and electricity and to ensure hundred percent payment for them. "Before the heating season we should be without depts. for the gas" - Andriy Klyuyev said and reminded about the need to pay on time for the imported fuel.

He recalled the regional leaders that without the appropriate level of payment, the necessary limits of natural gas will not be given and there will not be any relevant agreement between SC Gas of Ukraine and thermal power utilities.

According to First Vice Prime Minister, the level of payment by the population for housing and communal services in 2010 is 99.7%, but the level of payments by heating enterprises remains unsatisfactory. Thus, in the Transcarpathian region the population estimates from the beginning of the year for heat were 65.9% and heating rate calculations for gas consumption were 24,7%, in Luhansk region, these figures are 102.7% and 29.2%, Zhitomir - 105.3% and 40.6%, Kirovohrad - 102.7% and 44.4%, Donetsk region - 97.4% and 46.7%, Sevastopol - 65.2% and 36.9%, and in Kiev - 98.2% and 53.5% respectively, Andriy Klyuyev said.