The expert explained why the current power outages affected the left bank of Ukraine
6 February 17:13
OPINION
In recent days, emergency power outage schedules have been reintroduced in a number of regions of Ukraine. Reportedly, this step was prompted by regular Russian missile and drone attacks on generation facilities and damage to transmission networks by the enemy. In addition, it coincided with a significant cold snap, when the temperature dropped below zero in most of the country. Therefore, Ukrenergo once again urges to conserve electricity.
Komersant ukrainskyi asked energy expert Mykhailo Honchar to assess the situation.
In an exclusive commentary to , he said that the peculiarity of the latest damage is that it has hampered the flow of electricity from the right to the left bank of the Lnipra.
“Blackouts are happening in the regions of the left-bank part of Ukraine. There were some damages within one of the regional networks, which temporarily reduced the possibility of electricity flow from the right bank to the left bank. But I think this is a temporary phenomenon,”
– said the expert.
He added that the drop in temperature also affects the situation in the power grid, as there is still a shortage of electricity. Therefore, emergency blackouts in certain areas are quite natural.
However, the current situation is not critical.
“If the current conditional status quo continues, when the weather is relatively warm and sunny days are getting longer, when there are no massive combined attacks, we will get through the winter period somewhere like this. Again, the power system deficit will not go away, it will remain. And the situation will be roughly the same as it is now,”
– mr. Gonchar is convinced.
In addition, he adds, with an increase in the number of sunny days, solar power will join the generation of electricity, which will make a certain contribution to overcoming the deficit. However, the most important factor, the expert reminds, will continue to be the presence or absence of Russian shelling of Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
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The situation in the Ukrainian energy sector
on March 22, 2024, Russia resumed its attacks on the Ukrainian energy sector, carrying out one of the most massive attacks in the entire period of the full-scale war. In particular, DniproHES and other Ukrainian energy facilities were hit. Since then, Russia has been regularly shelling Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
For example, the Russians destroyed the Trypillia and Zmiiv thermal power plants, causing Centrenergo to lose 100% of its generation. Also, 5 of DTEK’s 6 thermal power plants were severely damaged.
After that, power outages began again in Ukraine, and the government raised the electricity tariff by 60% at once.
In this situation, the Cabinet of Ministers decided to build two new units at the Khmelnytsky N PP and has already received the approval of the relevant parliamentary committee. The Razumkov Center has criticized these plans, but some experts believe that only traitors or scoundrels are against the construction of nuclear power plants today.
Russia launched another massive attack on the Ukrainian energy sector on August 26. This time, they hit distribution and power generation systems, and the Kyiv hydroelectric power plant was also attacked.
Russia carried out the most massive shelling of Ukraine on November 17, 2024, firing 127 cruise, ballistic, and supersonic missiles and 109 attack drones. DTEK reported serious damage to its thermal power plants.
After that, some experts predicted that blackouts could last until spring. And the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine voiced the worst-case scenario, which envisages blackouts of up to 20 hours a day.
However, as of early February, these predictions turned out to be wrong. Ukraine quickly coped with the consequences of the November shelling and went through most of the winter without massive power outages.
