Belarus extracts 1.5 times more peat in 2022

Belarus has extracted 1.5 times more peat in 2022, Deputy Energy Minister Denis Moroz said in an interview to the STV channel, BelTA informs.

“This year 2.4 million tonnes of peat has been extracted. This is quite a big figure, which is almost 1.5 times higher than last year. At the moment more than 600,000 tonnes of peat briquettes have been produced, which can also be used for heating,” said Denis Moroz.

The deputy minister said that the Belarusian energy system is fully prepared for the upcoming heating season. “This is the result of the work done throughout the year. We have repaired more than 100 units of electrical and heating equipment, as well as 157km of heating mains, made a stock of 304,000 thousand tonnes of fuel oil. To prepare for the heating season, the Energy Ministry conducted inspections and checked the efficiency of more than 180 units of diesel power units,” he said.

According to him, the country has created a whole system of emergency dispatch brigades and mobile teams. “All in all, there are about 1,400 such teams in the Belarusian energy system. They employ over 5,000 people. We have checked the efficiency of all these teams and whether they are equipped with the necessary equipment,” Denis Moroz explained.

According to the deputy minister, a long heating season imposes certain restrictions. “We have a little less time to prepare energy equipment for the upcoming heating season. Thanks to the planned, systematic work organized in the Energy Ministry, we have time to fully prepare,” he stressed.

Denis Moroz added that the energy ministries of Belarus and Russia have developed a joint plan to implement measures to create a unified electricity market under the Union State program. “We are now successfully moving along it. At the moment a draft agreement on the formation of the Union Electricity Market has been fully prepared. The document has undergone the procedure of agreement between the ministries, and will soon be submitted to the heads of states,” said Denis Moroz. The work on a common gas market is also underway.

Speaking about the growing energy crisis in Europe, he said it will not affect the energy security of Belarus. “We do not expect or see how it may affect us. On the whole, our cooperation within the framework of the Union State protects our consumers, the Republic of Belarus, from the external influences in terms of energy,” the deputy minister said.