Restriction to 8-14 hours a day: energy shortage remains a serious threat to Ukraine as Russian attacks continue - Politico
Kyiv • UNN
Experts warn of possible power cuts in Ukraine due to Russian attacks and cold weather. The country's power system lost more than 9 GW of capacity after the August shelling.
Against the backdrop of the onslaught of the occupiers' air attacks, experts warn of possible scenarios for the Ukrainian energy system during the cold months.
Writes UNN with reference to Politico.
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A sharp cold snap and possible new devastating blows to the energy system are provoking a situation where Ukraine may face power outages for a significant part of the day. This assessment is shared by independent experts and Ukraine's allies, to whom the authorities are asking for urgent assistance.
At the end of August alone, the Russian Armed Forces fired more than 200 missiles and drones at the country's electricity generation facilities; accordingly, Russia reduced Ukraine's electricity generation capacity by more than 9 gigawatts, reports Gennady Ryabtsev, chief researcher at the National Institute for Strategic Studies of Ukraine.
The expert believes that Ukraine may face a scenario where electricity is supplied to industry and households for 8-14 hours a day.
Oleksandr Kharchenko, managing director of the Center for Energy Industry Research and energy advisor to the Ukrainian government, in a commentary to Politico, weighs in on the danger of a sharp cold snap or Russian attempts to strike at the nuclear power system.
The parliamentary subcommittee on energy security talks about "the difficult situation and the importance of support from international partners.
Last month, Ukraine appealed to the European Union for help: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned at the United Nations that Russian attacks could lead to a "nuclear catastrophe.
Another problem is that Ukraine's fuel reserves are dwindling.
In 2024, the situation worsened due to the absence of Western traders and companies, which were "reluctant to pump gas into storage due to repeated Russian attacks and less attractive margins," explains Aura Sabadus, an expert on Eastern European energy markets.
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Ukraine and its partners are now working hard to prevent the worst possible consequences. Back in April, the government ordered the country's leading energy companies to protect energy production facilities. For example, sandbags and gabions - metal cages filled with stones - are being used on the lower level of protection and thick concrete coverings on the upper level.
Among other things, Ukraine has also been creative in adding solar panels to more than 20 hospitals across the country to ensure uninterrupted power supply.
In addition, "the energy community, which hopes to raise €1 billion in funding from Western governments and private donors by the end of the year, intends to restore 3 gigawatts of electricity capacity by winter," Politico reports.
