Ukraine’s power system is unlikely to collapse, despite recent Russian strikes that have caused significant damage, according to the head of the national power grid operator Ukrenergo, Volodymyr Kudrytskyi.
Since March 22, Russian forces have been hitting thermal and hydroelectric plants as well as central grids, almost on a daily basis. As a result, blackouts are caused in many areas.
“Their goal is to cause a blackout in some major Ukrainian cities, and our goal is to prevent that,” Kudrytsky said in an interview with Reuters.
Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, has announced that five of its six plants were damaged in the attacks, losing 80% of their capacity.
The thermal power plants and other facilities of DTEK, which supplies about 25% of the country’s needs, have been repeatedly hit by Russian missiles, drones and artillery shells.
Missile attacks have also caused significant damage to Ukraine’s largest hydroelectric plant, Zaporizhia, as well as the Kanif and Dniester power plants.
Most of Ukraine’s electricity is generated by three nuclear plants, but thermal and hydroelectric plants play a key role, especially during peak periods.
“The biggest concern now is the state of production, the part that balances the system. The scale of damage reported by DTEK is obviously high,” Kudrytsky admitted. But he stressed that the system is far from a collapse.
“We are certainly not one step away from collapse. Collapse means the uncontrolled shutdown of most or all of the energy system. This has not happened and will not happen, we consider this scenario unlikely,” he added.
Kudrytsky said there could be “limited problems” in certain areas, such as the city of Kharkiv or Odesa in the south.
The energy system of the USSR and later Ukraine was traditionally based on huge power plants, but these facilities are very difficult to protect from bombing.
This would only be possible if Ukraine built hundreds of smaller power plants across the country. “This process must begin immediately,” Kudrytsky stressed.
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