Ukraine's Pokrovsky GOK is building a small solar power plant to save money

MOSCOW. May 31 (Interfax) - PJSC Pokrovsky Mining and Processing Plant (formerly the Ordzhonikidze GOK), Ukraine's largest producer of manganese ore, will allocate UAH 10 million for the construction of its own solar power plant with a capacity of about 1 MW, Ukrainian media reported, citing the company's For Manganese corporate publication.

Preparations for the project are already underway.

"We created a working group of specialists, calculated the technical specifications for the design, and began implementation. Why are we building a solar power plant? First, the plant will afford us the opportunity to provide additional power and reduce consumption from the national grid. Secondly, it is important for us to try our hand and learn to build facilities like these, which are extremely necessary in our time. After all, we all understand that a shortage of electricity cannot be avoided in the near future," chief engineer Yuri Korkodola said.

As the plant has been idle for over six months, it is trying to make money in various ways, in particular, by providing services to other enterprises and selling scrap metal.

"This is how we get out of this situation. Moreover, we are trying to make do with our own resources for the construction of the solar power plants. This is mainly through used rolled metal [sales]. We also use technologies that do not require involving contractors," Korkodola said.

The plant's chief power engineer, Pavel Litun, said that in addition to installing solar panels, there are plans to build a high-voltage overhead line, a transformer, and to repair a substation. The electricity generated by the SPP will be sent to the plant's own power grid, which will allow it to consume fewer resources from the general grid and save the enterprise money, he said.

As reported, Pokrovsky GOK suspended its main production activities on November 1, 2023 because it was unable to work due to a significant increase in the cost of electricity, a disruption in logistics, a lack of water supply, and a breakdown of production equipment.

The official exchange rate as of May 31 is 40.5 UAH/$1.