Ukraine will enter the winter with a noticeable electricity shortage, even if the weather is warm. The country has lost about half of its electricity generation, and it will be impossible to restore it all in a few months.
When will the power plants of Ukraine destroyed by Russian shelling be restored
Since March, Ukraine has experienced five waves of massive Russian energy strikes. According to DTEK CEO Maksym Tymchenko, the latest attack, on May 8, was particularly devastating because all the missiles reached their targets without interference from air defense and disabled three more power plants.
We need to get out of this cycle of destruction, repair, destruction — that is, we can lose everything if we don't have proper air defense systems, Tymchenko said.
If last year Ukrainian air defense was able to intercept most of the Russian missiles and drones, this year, due to delays with American help, the Russians managed to cause large-scale damage to Ukraine's energy system.
According to Ukrenergo Supervisory Board member Yury Boyko, the winter will undoubtedly be difficult, the only question is how much. According to him, due to the Russian strikes, Ukraine lost approximately eight gigawatts of electricity, which is close to half of what the country needs during peak load periods.
This [deficit] can be significantly reduced, but not so much that it can be halved or even eradicated. That is, there will be a deficit in the electricity system, even if the winter is warm, - says Boyko.
Last year, the Russians attacked mainly the power distribution network, so the costs of the DTEK company for repair and restoration of equipment amounted to about 120 million dollars. This time the costs will be higher, as the Russians have now started destroying the power plants themselves.
According to Timchenko's estimates, about 350 million dollars should be spent to replace the destroyed turbines, generators and control equipment of the DTEK company. And this is taking into account that it will be possible to partially get by with used equipment from European power plants.
Tymchenko hopes that the Ukrainian energy system will be able to survive the next winter and avoid a disaster if the energy industry fulfills everything they have planned. But for this, Ukraine needs the support of the West, including the strengthening of air defense.
The situation in Ukrainian energy: the latest news
Ukrenergo predicts that blackouts in Ukraine may last until the end of the summer. According to Yuriy Boyk, even with the involvement of imports and emergency aid, the energy industry is forced to introduce emergency power outages.
According to energy expert Andrii Zakrevskyi, a complete blackout in Ukraine is impossible, because nuclear power generation remains. But it is not enough to cover consumer peaks.
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