Avdiivka Coke Plant

48.1639°N 37.7060°E / 48.1639; 37.7060

Avdiivka Coke and Chemical Plant Авдіївський коксохімічний завод
Location of the plant in Donetsk Oblast Show map of Donetsk Oblast Location of the plant in Ukraine Show map of Ukraine
Built	1963
Location	Avdiivka, Ukraine
Coordinates	48.1639°N 37.7060°E / 48.1639; 37.7060
Products	Benzine, Coal Tar, Coal oil, Ammonium Sulphate and Coke gas
Owner(s)	Metinvest
Website	akhz.metinvestholding.com

Avdiivka Coke and Chemical Plant (Ukrainian: Авдіївський коксохімічний завод, romanized: Avdiivskyi koksokhimichnyi zavod, AKHZ) in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, was the largest coke producer in Ukraine and is owned by the company Metinvest,^[1] which is in turn owned by Rinat Akhmetov, a Ukrainian oligarch. AKHZ also produced a variety of chemicals including benzine, coal tar, coal oil ammonium sulphate and coke gas.^[2] The plant consisted of 13 main and 30 auxiliary workshops as well as service structural divisions.

In late 2023 through early 2024, the plant saw intense fighting during a Russian offensive on Avdiivka and was largely destroyed. According to Metinvest CEO Yuriy Ryzhenkov, it cannot be restored.^[3] On 17 February 2024, the Avdiivka Coke Plant was completely captured by the Russian forces following Ukrainian withdrawal.^[4]

History

Avdiivka Coke Plant in 2012

The plant was constructed in 1963 by the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic to fulfil the coke needs of the nearby Mariupol Steel Works^[5] as well as the availability of coal from local mines. Originally opening with 1 coke battery, this expanded to nine by 1980 with investment from the Soviet Union.^[5] By 1988, 100 million tons of coke had been produced making it a major coke producer in Europe.^[5] In 1993, as Ukraine gained independence, the plant was privatised as the Open Joint Stock Company 'Avdeevskiy Coke-processing Works'.^[6][5]

Starting in mid-April 2014, Russian separatists captured several towns in Donetsk Oblast;^[7][8] including Avdiivka.^{[9][failed verification]} In July 2014 fighting during which Ukraine secured the city from the Russian separatists^[10]) damaged the plant, which was hit by 165 mortar rounds during the conflict.^[11][12][13] The plant stopped working on 17 August 2014 due to the increasing violence.^[14] On 5 February 2015, the workers of the plant published an open letter to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko,^[15] accusing the 25th Airborne Brigade and the volunteer Aidar Battalion of opening fire from residential areas, and asking that they be removed from the town. The letter also claimed that the town had been without water, heat and electricity for the previous six months and warned of the ecological catastrophe that could follow from further shelling of the plant. After being recaptured by the Ukrainian military, production resumed, albeit at one third capacity.^[11] Much of the plant had been damaged and it was being managed from a Soviet era bunker underneath the site in order to avoid shelling.^[11] In January 2017, during the Battle of Avdiivka (2017) Russian separatists shelled the town of Avdiivka with BM-21 Grad rockets, causing heavy damage to the plant's generators and disrupting gas production, as well as leaving the town without heat for several days.^[16][17] The shelling killed the 10th factory employee to die since the start of the War in Donbass.^[18]

Administrative building of the plant after Russian shelling in 2023

In 2022, during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces repeatedly shelled and damaged the coke plant.^[19][20] In May 2023, it was put on conservation. In November 2023, it was abandoned by last workers.^[21] Months of heavy fighting for the plant followed during the Battle of Avdiivka (2023–2024), eventually involving Ukrainian reinforcements from the 3rd Assault Brigade and extensive Russian aerial attacks using glide bombs.^[22] On 17 February 2024, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi confirmed that Ukrainian forces were completely withdrawing from Avdiivka, including Avdiivka Coke Plant to "more favourable lines" as to "avoid encirclement and preserve the lives and health of service personnel".^[23]

Production

Before the war in Donbas, production was 12,000 tons of coke per day, worth $2.4m.^[11] However, this has fallen by two thirds due to the conflict.^[11] Avdiivka Coke was one of the top-five coke producers in Europe and the largest coke-producer in Ukraine. Currently^[when?] AKHZ produced about 40 types of products and the share of the plant exceeds 20% of gross coke output in Ukraine. It sold coke to Azovstal, Yenakiieve Steel and Ilyich Steel as well as to customers outside of the Metinvest group of companies such as ArcelorMittal in Kryvyi Rih.^[24] Avdiivka Coke currently^[when?] produced coke at eight out of its nine coke batteries.

Before its destruction, the plant has seen considerable investment in environmental equipment and facilities including sulphur removal and heat exchangers to reduce energy consumption.^[25] The plant was considered important to steel production in Ukraine.^[26]

References

1. "METINVEST :: Avdiivka Coke Plant". akhz.metinvestholding.com. Retrieved 2015-04-18.
2. "METINVEST :: Products and quality :: Products". akhz.metinvestholding.com. Retrieved 2015-04-18.
3. "Росія зруйнувала Авдіївський коксохім, його відновити буде неможливо – гендиректор «Метінвесту»" [Russia destroyed the Avdiiv coke plant, it will be impossible to restore it - CEO of Metinvest]. Forbes (in Ukrainian). 2023-12-28.
4. "Avdiivka: Ukraine troops leave embattled eastern town". BBC news. 2024-02-17. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
5. "METINVEST :: About us :: Our history". akhz.metinvestholding.com. Retrieved 2015-04-18.
6. "Power structure Avdeyevka Coke and Chemical Plant". Avdeyevka Coke and Chemical Plant. 2023-07-06. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
7. Ragozin, Leonid (16 April 2014). "Vladimir Putin is Accidentally Bringing Eastern and Western Ukraine Together". The New Republic.
8. "Donbass defenders put WWII tank back into service".
9. "Ukraine's army launches massive offensive operation on Donetsk".
10. "TASS: World - Ukraine's army launches massive offensive operation on Donetsk". TASS. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
    "BBC: Ukrainian military 'seizes Avdiivka' in rebel Donetsk stronghold". KyivPost. 30 July 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
    Bloomberg: Ukraine pushes for UN peacekeepers, Ukraine Today (21 April 2015)
11. Burridge, Tom (17 April 2015). "Ukraine crisis: The factory that has been shelled 165 times". BBC News. Retrieved 2015-04-18.
12. "Metinvest Group's Avdiivka Coke hit by artillery".
13. "The enterprise Manager: Fire on coke under no Donetsk".
14. "Авдiївський КХЗ повнiстю знеструмлений i призупинив роботу" [Avdiivka Coke completely disconnected and stopped working]. Ukrayinska Pravda (in Ukrainian). 17 August 2014.
15. "Сотрудники Авдеевского коксохима просят Порошенко вывести войска из города" [Employees of the Avdiivka coking plant ask Poroshenko to withdraw troops from the city] (in Russian).
16. "Ukraine clashes rage for third day, sparking EU concern". Agence France-Presse. January 31, 2017. Archived from the original on January 31, 2017. An AFP reporter saw the separatists shell the town of about 20,000 people with repeated rounds of Grad multiple rocket systems and artillery fire from the early morning. "Right now, there is no power. We have not resolved problems with heating homes, and the gas pipe has been shattered," local Ukrainian army unit spokeswoman Olena Mokrynchuk told AFP [...] The town's heating is provided by a coke plant that has been heavily damaged by the falling shells. Plant director Musa Magomedov said it would be incredibly difficult to resume gas production were the factory's generators shut down. That would leave Avdiivka without a source of local power and uncertainty about its future.
17. "Авдіївці теплопостачання перевели на стабільний режим" [The residents of Avdiiv have switched the heat supply to a stable mode]. pda.pravda.com.ua. 2017-02-05.
18. "Violence flares in war-weary Ukraine as US dithers and Russia pounces". The Guardian. 14 February 2017.
19. "Ukraine's largest steel firm says shells hit Avdiivka coke plant". Reuters. March 13, 2022 – via www.reuters.com.
20. "ВС РФ обстреляли Авдеевку: уничтожено здание коксохимического завода (видео)" [The Russian Armed Forces shelled Avdeevka: the building of the coke plant was destroyed (video)] (in Russian). Focus. 2023-03-08. Archived from the original on 2023-11-06.
21. "Авдеевский коксохим: современные реалии и значимость для экономики Украины" [Avdiivka coking plant: modern realities and significance for the Ukrainian economy]. GMK Center. 2023-11-09.
22. "Russia claims control of Avdiivka after outnumbered Ukrainian defenders withdrew". PBS. 17 February 2024.
23. "Avdiivka: Ukraine troops leave embattled eastern town". BBC news. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
24. "Ошибка 404" [Error 404] (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2012-05-05. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
25. "METINVEST :: Development :: Energy saving". akhz.metinvestholding.com. Retrieved 2015-04-18.
26. Adamczyk, Ed (January 31, 2017). "Ukraine prepares to evacuate town under siege; no electricity, no water". UPI. Archived from the original on February 1, 2017. The town is near the rebel-held city of Donetsk, as well as near important roads used by rebel forces. It is also the home of a coke and chemical plant, Europe's largest of its kind. If the separatists captured the facility it could jeopardize Ukraine's steel industry.

External links

• Media related to Avdiivka Coke Plant at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website