Trends and problems of coal industry development in Ukraine (on the example of state enterprise «Lvivvuhillya»)

Abstract

The article deals with the general tendencies and problems of the development of the Ukrainian coal industry in recent years. The main reasons for the problems and reduction of coal production in Ukraine due to the corresponding exhaustion of stocks as a result of long-term exploitation of coal mining enterprises are outlined. In addition, the unsatisfactory condition of the main equipment of the mines and its high level of deterioration and low rates of restoration of fixed assets are determined. The pace of investment and innovation processes in the coal industry of Ukraine today does not correspond to real needs and opportunities for increasing of coal production. The reformation and restructuring of coalmining enterprises is far behind the planned state program measures, including privatization processes, attracting private investment, improving approaches to management, closing unprofitable loss-making mines and building new prospective mines. The article highlights prospective directions of increasing coal mining, both operating mines and the possibility of building new explored reserves of energy and coking coal, in particular, in the Lviv-Volyn coal basin. The main reasons for the unprofitability of coal enterprises, untimely payment of wages to miners, problems of investment and innovation development of the coal industry are outlined. The complexity of the processes of voluntary association of communities in coal regions in the framework of the decentralization reform consists in the presence of environmental problems and the future closure of coal mining enterprises, negatively affecting the overall economic potential of the future united territorial communities. The paper proves that the strategic development of the united territorial communities in the areas of coal deposits (on the example of the Lviv region) is closely connected to the presence of coal mining enterprises there and the construction of new mines there. Strategic directions of innovative development of Ukraine's coal industry, the principles of reform and restructuring of the coal enterprises are defined.