After being shelled repeatedly and pushed to the brink of shutdown, the Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant in eastern Ukraine's war-torn Donetsk region is once again running at full capacity. The factory is one of the largest coke producing plants in Europe and plays a vital role in fueling Ukrainian industry. It now produces purified coal fuel at a rate not seen since early 2014, before the start of the conflict with Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service photographer Andriy Dubchak visited the Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant and found the factory is expanding its facilities.
Ukraine's Avdiyivka Coke Plant Roars Past Prewar Production
1
The Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant is located in eastern Ukraine's war-torn Donetsk region and was repeatedly hit by mortar and artillery shells. With almost four thousand workers, the sprawling 340-hectare factory is one of the largest coke producing facilities in Europe. By then end of 2018, the plant passed its prewar production rate of 8,500 tons of coke per day. It is now running at full capacity, producing 9,300 tons of coke daily.
2
Coke is a purified form of coal and a valuable industrial fuel. Coke is produced by heating normal coal for 22 hours in special airless furnaces that reach temperatures of 1,100 degrees Celsius. With its concentrated carbon content, coke produced from the Avdiyivka plant is used to fuel steelmaking furnaces across Ukraine. The Ukrainian government called the Avdiyivka plant a "strategic asset" for the country's economy.
3
The Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant is part of the Metinvest group which is controlled by Ukrainian oligarch and billionaire industrialist Rinat Akhmetov. The plant produces more than 30 products including coke which fuels 23 percent of Ukraine's steelmaking blast furnaces.
4
A car loaded with flaming sintered coke departs from the furnace for cooling. When the conflict erupted in eastern Ukraine in 2014, the Avdiyivka plant lost its main coal supply after Russia-backed separatist took control of three Metinvest mines near the Russian border. By 2017, output fell to 5,000 tons of coke per day due to a lack of coal and electricity. The plant was forced to find new suppliers and began receiving coal from American and Australian companies later that same year.
Facebook Forum