The Ellada oilseed pressing plant in Ukraine’s Kyiv region has effectively suspended operations due to a shortage of electricity, as power is supplied for only about six hours per day on average. This was reported by the plant’s owner Vitalii Averkin, according to ProAgro Group.

Operating such a facility on diesel generators is economically unjustified, Averkin said. The plant requires around 800 kW of actual load per hour. Under these conditions, a 1 MW generator consumes approximately 200–210 liters of diesel fuel per hour, rising to 220–225 liters when temperatures drop to minus 20°C.

“The price of winter diesel is UAH 57–58 per liter. There is cheaper fuel at UAH 54–55, but it only works down to minus 10°C. Many generators lack fuel heating systems, so diesel can freeze, which also needs to be taken into account. As a result, the cost of electricity produced reaches about UAH 16 per kWh,” he explained.

According to Averkin, the plant has export contracts in place but is forced to halt production specifically due to electricity shortages.

He added that the company operates a separate 40 kW generator for office needs, allowing administrative work to continue, but this capacity is insufficient for industrial production.

“Perhaps the economics still work for oil extraction plants, but we are a pressing plant—our cost structure is different. Without at least 15 hours of power supply, we would have to burn up to 4,000 liters of diesel per day. I know examples in Odesa region where a fuel tanker is constantly on standby near a plant, making continuous fuel runs. For us, this is simply not economically viable,” Averkin said.

As previously reported, the shutdown of nearly one-third of oil extraction plants, combined with electricity shortages and limited port operations due to ongoing shelling, has reduced Ukraine’s supply of sunflower oil and pushed up demand prices.

Source: Latifundist.com