(DailyDig.com) – On June 20, Russia launched drones and missiles into Ukraine, which caused damage to a power plant and damaged its electric grid. The attack resulted in a power outage for over 200,000 customers.
Since March of this year, Russian strikes in Ukraine have left the country with nearly half of its normal generating capacity for the power it needs to serve its infrastructure. According to Russian officials, they bombed legitimate targets, such as energy facilities, as retribution for Ukraine’s missile and drone attacks on their territory.
According to Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, the CEO of Ukrenergo, Ukraine’s sole power operator, the situation is critical. Power outages are frequent, and when winter arrives with no positive change in their power infrastructure, they will face an alarming demand for electricity with insufficient funding during a war that necessitates spending on defense.
Kudrytskyi attended a meeting about Ukraine’s capacity to produce power with only half of its systems in working order. He stated that nine gigawatts (GW) are half of what was left of their 18 GW power system before the targeted bombing by Russia in March. Prior to the war with Russia, Ukraine’s power system had a capacity of 56 GW.
During the summer months in Ukraine, power usage is about 45% less than in the winter months. Kudrytskyi stated that the current 1.7 GW of electricity imports from European countries will not alleviate the deficit.
Dmytro Sakharuk, the director of DTEK, Ukraine’s energy agency, stated that the issue with their electric grid is due to a lack of missiles to defend their airspace. He said that for every five Russian missiles that attack their grid, Ukraine only has one to defend. Even if all repairs to the grid were to occur, there would be no protection against further Russian attacks.
Sakharuk expressed his dissatisfaction with the Ukrainian government’s inadequacy in managing the rebuilding of their power infrastructure. He was dissatisfied with the lack of organizational experience and knowledge.
The meeting’s conclusion resulted in no solutions other than to import more power from other European countries.
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