Visit to Slobozhanske territorial community
Executive Director of the Association of Coal Communities of Ukraine, Andriy Tabinskyy, visited the Slobozhanske territorial community in the Kharkiv region.
The key enterprise for the community is the Zmiivska Thermal Power Plant, which contributes 70% to the local budget. The population of the community is about 27,000 residents, half of whom live in the administrative center of the urban-type village Slobozhanske.
During the meeting, a number of key areas of cooperation with the Association of Coal Communities were discussed. The transfer of the buildings of the Zmiivska Thermal Power Plant from state ownership to municipal ownership, that is, to the community's balance, is one of the main tasks for today. Preliminary projects for the effective use of the premises have already been developed, but a mechanism for implementing such a transfer has not been found yet. It was agreed to work together to solve the problem, as the Association is currently successfully helping other communities with similar tasks.
We also discussed a number of promising projects that could be implemented in the Slobozhanske territorial community. Among other things, this includes the reconstruction of the municipal waste landfill. It was agreed to find funding for the development of a feasibility study.
The community representatives are also interested in collaborating with the Association to obtain grants for small and medium-sized businesses. It should be noted that the Association is successfully working on writing and submitting grant applications for businesses in coal communities and communities dependent on coal-fired thermal power plants.
It is extremely important that the Slobozhanske territorial community collaborates with the regional authorities regarding funding for the construction of an alternative heating system in case of new shelling incidents at the Zmiivska Thermal Power Plant. The community has received funds from the reserve fund to install new powerful boilers, so the alternative heating system will significantly reduce potential risks ahead of the new heating season.
