DTEK boosts hard coal production 9% yoy in 10M17

Ukraine’s leading coal & power holding DTEK Energy
(DTEKUA) boosted its mining of hard steam coal 9.2% yoy to 18.8 mmt, according
to its Nov. 8 press release. In October alone, DTEK’s mines produced 1.9 mmt of
coal, up from 1.8 mmt in September, the holding reported.

Recall, DTEK has lost its anthracite-producing mines
located on the occupied territory of Donbas in March 2017. Now it
controls only three mines in Ukraine, all of which produce hard steam coal. Out
of its eight remaining thermal power plants, five are designed to burn hard
steam coal and three burn anthracite. The holding is planning to reconfigure some its power units
at its anthracite-burning power plants to burn hard coal.

Alexander Paraschiy: Based on this information, we estimate DTEK’s October coal production
was 1.86 mmt, which is 1.2% better than September (in daily average terms) but
1.2% less yoy. While the holding’s October coal output lags last year’s result,
the trend looks encouraging. This was the second month in a row of increasing
month-over-month daily output after consecutive six months of decline. If that
trend continues, DTEK Energy will mine 22.6 mmt of hard coal in 2017, or
slightly above what we earlier expected. We remain bullish about DTEKUA bonds.