Ukraine and Germany are negotiating on the implementation of a pilot project to transform coal regions

Acting Minister of Energy Olha Buslavets said that Ukraine was negotiating with the German side at a very high level regarding the implementation of a pilot project to transform coal regions, Energoreforma reports.

The Minister expects that two mines will be selected for the pilot project at once, and not one, as was originally considered.

“I really hope there will be two mines. One is in the west of Ukraine, the other is in the east,” she said.

According to her, such mines will be selected in accordance with certain criteria in order to solve economic and social issues, in particular, reorientation of coal workers.

According to Buslavets, it is necessary to increase the production of coal at promising mines, "giving them, thus, an impetus for development."

She also said that the Ministry of Energy was completing the development of a concept for reforming the coal industry and an action plan for it, and was also involved in the development of the National Program for the Transformation of the Coal Industry until 2030.

“The mine closure process should be a phased one with prioritization of sites. And now approaches are being developed to diversify local economies to create new jobs, an assessment and segmentation of labor resources is being carried out," Buslavets said.

As a reminder, the Cabinet of Ministers has created a Coordination Center for the transformation of coal regions.

Earlier it was reported that the World Bank and Germany will help transform the coal industry in Ukraine.