The Energy Paradox Associated with the Free Supply of Coal to Workers in the Coal Industry

The relevance of the research determines its belonging to the subject of the goals of sustainable development, in particular, the analysis of material and energy flows during production. The purpose of the work is to prove the existence of an energy paradox at coal enterprises of Ukraine in the form of a higher impact on the mines total energy consumption energy costs related to personnel than resources consumed in the technological sphere of the mine. It is original to take into account in the total costs of energy resources of a coal enterprise energy resources inherent to the personnel of mines, which are provided for household needs in the form of free fuel. Research methods: general scientific (analysis, synthesis, abstraction, etc.) in combination with the method of the Box-Wilson multifactorial experiment. On the basis of the multifactorial experiment plan-matrix, it is proved that changes in the norms of energy costs associated with the provision of free coal to mine workers have a greater impact on the overall consumption of energy resources by the enterprise than the energy costs of technological consumers. Identifying the paradox is important in terms of increasing the economic efficiency of coal mining enterprises and the coal industry of Ukraine as a whole. In addition, the above is a demonstration of the economic effects of an institutional nature, which are the consequences of social policy.