In the run-up to the 2026 heating season, the situation surrounding the Chervonohrad Beneficiation Plant (CBP) has escalated from a business dispute to a threat to national security. Viktoriya Hryb, a Member of the Verkhovna Rada and head of the subcommittee on energy security issues, has called on the Ministry of Energy to intervene immediately. According to her, the state cannot afford to lose strategic enterprises upon which the stability of the country's energy system depends during an exceptionally difficult winter.
Critical Role of the Plant in Ukraine's Energy Sector
The Chervonohrad CBP is a key link in the fuel supply chain for state-owned power generation. As Viktoriya Hryb explained, coal mined in the Lviv-Volyn basin cannot be sent directly to thermal power plants. It must be cleaned of rock and brought up to the required quality standards. This is the function performed by the plant. Without its operation, mines cannot effectively ship the extracted fuel, and the country loses precious time building up coal reserves for the winter. The plant's downtime effectively blocks the operation of an entire segment of the energy sector.
Social and Environmental Consequences of the Shutdown
The plant has been out of operation since January 2026. During this time, a significant wage arrears have accumulated, leading to a wave of layoffs of qualified staff. Simultaneously, production facilities are deteriorating. The situation is exacerbated by complaints from residents of Sosnivka village. Locals report air pollution, road damage, and the dangerous transport of coal sludge through residential areas. The deputy emphasized that behind the dry facts lie the fates of specific people and families who should not remain hostages to a years-long legal battle.
Contradictory Data and a Deadlock in Sanation
The enterprise's sanation procedure has been ongoing for nearly eight years, yet no approved plan exists. Serious discrepancies and delays have arisen in the court proceedings. In January 2026, the court appointed Volodymyr Yurchenko as the sanation manager, but in April, the appellate court annulled this decision. Another candidate, Oleksandr Okhrymenko, declined the appointment on July 21. The consideration of a new manager has been postponed to August 19. This creates a legal vacuum that is being exploited by private structures in the fight for control over the asset, while the state loses time.
Call for Consolidation of Efforts
Viktoriya Hryb noted that state bodies and communal enterprises, representing the majority of creditor claims, have already supported an independent candidate for the manager position. The deputy insists that the Ministry of Energy must unite this position, ensure the prompt appointment of a manager, and prepare a clear plan to launch the plant. Experts, including Volodymyr Omelchenko, Director of Energy Programs at the Razumkov Centre, warn that the eight-month downtime of the CBP is turning from a legal problem into a real threat to Ukraine's energy security.
