Specifics of Economic Relations in the Thermal Power Industry of Ukraine

The main directions of Ukraine’s development in the medium term are the recovery and development of the country after the russian armed aggression, as well as the reform of the mechanisms for managing and regulating the economy in general and the thermal power industry in particular in accordance with the criteria set for accession to the EU. The aim of the study is to identify and generalize the specific features of economic relations in the thermal power industry of Ukraine. The article proposes a classification of factors that can be used to characterize the heat supply system of a particular settlement; the Ukrainian legislation regulating relations in the field of heat supply is studied; the prerequisites for reforming the heat supply sector in the direction of creating regional thermal energy markets are determined. The features of the organization of heat supply in the regions and settlements of Ukraine by types of energy carriers and the structure of thermal energy production are studied (steam or hot-water boilers, combined heat and power district heating, thermal power plants, nuclear power plants). The structure of thermal energy production in some large cities of Ukraine is analyzed. It is determined that an important feature of activity in the field of thermal supply is the centralization of capacities. An analysis of thermal supply systems in large cities of Ukraine has been carried out and it has been proved that the simultaneous use of both large generating capacities and small autonomous boiler houses is typical. Based on the study of existing projects of new buildings from the Database of Energy Certificates of the State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine, it is proved that in recent years, in the design and construction of new residential buildings, there has been a tendency to abandon district heating. The features and priority of the use of various heating schemes in residential new buildings of the country are determined. The ownership structure of economic entities in the sphere of district heating of communal energy in Ukraine is analyzed. The number of unprofitable and profitable enterprises of thermal power engineering is studied in the context of forms of ownership. The features of economic relations in the thermal power industry of Ukraine are generalized, which generally characterize the specifics of the organization and functioning of this sphere and constitute the basis for its further reform and post-war development