Ukraine’s energy production is now at half of the level it was last year because Russia continues attacking the energy infrastructure and the country is importing power from neighboring states.
In one of the largest thermal power plants located in western Ukraine, employees are concerned with the retrieval of useful components rather than with the unit operations. This used to be a very important power plant that used to supply power to the region, but now it only supplies heat to a village.
Russian shelling not only affects the production facilities but also substations and even the power grid leading to large scale disruptions. “Their goal is simple: ‘‘no energy no economy,’’ echoed Serhey a production control officer at the thermal plant. It is severe to an extent that Ukraine can hardly transport electricity from the western part to the eastern part causing recurrent blackouts and overloading of high voltage transmission lines. Therefore, Ukraine has had to import more energy in the last one month than the entire one year before that.
Due to the fact that thermal power plants are highly vulnerable, gas is proving to be more and more essential for heat as well as energy. The usage of gas in Ukraine is growing and Ukrainians are looking for new deposits and providing more gas wells. The government is also encouraging companies and authorities to buy large gas generators but these will be of localized benefit with little investment going into new networks.
At the same time, the head of EU diplomacy Josep Borrell stressed the need for providing more energy assistance to Ukraine. He appealed to EU ministers to wake up and deliver more power generation capacities to Ukraine and thus contributed to the Ukrainian Energy Support Fund. “Putin’s plan is to turn Ukraine into darkness and cold,” Borrel said, highlighting the situation as critical especially with winter around the corner.
The following months will be rather challenging for the Ukrainian energy system and its government together with the global community is trying to prevent further attacks on the energy facilities and provide the country with energy security.
