Winter energy crisis: Ukraine faces up to 12 hours of outages daily

Power outages in Ukraine this coming winter may last up to 12 hours a day, according to Serhiy Kovalenko, the CEO of the largest energy company Yasno, in an interview with the portal Delo.ua. According to him, the energy deficit may reach 35%.

Kovalenko noted that this is a preliminary forecast, and complete plans for the winter period should be developed by the end of August. For this purpose, estimates will first be made regarding consumption, production, and the import of energy.

As the head of Yasno explained, some units of Ukrainian nuclear power plants are currently under maintenance. Still, they will start operating in the autumn, which means that electricity production will be higher. Maintenance is also ongoing at hydroelectric and thermal power plants.

Kovalenko pointed out that generation will increase by the autumn, although the ongoing Russian shelling of energy facilities may affect these plans. At the same time, as he noted, electricity consumption in Ukraine is highest in the winter.

Putin is implementing the so-called concept of Gen. Gerasimov, which the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation formulated and presented back in 2019 at the Defence University in Moscow. Even then, he announced that the new concept of war involves - parallel to other warfare activities - the prioritisation of destroying critical infrastructure.

According to him, the situation may worsen if the damaged facilities are not restored after Russian military attacks and if there is no agreement on imports. However, the problem may also improve if everything that has been planned is implemented and the winter is mild.

It must also be remembered that imports and exports of electricity play a crucial role in Ukraine's security.

Hungary and Moldova have been Ukraine's most important trade partners in this area. In 2023, the EU imported over 870 gigawatt-hours of electricity from Ukraine. Thanks to these connections, Kyiv gains additional funds to support the budget.

Lines connecting Ukrainian nuclear power plants with the West could become potential targets for Russian attacks.

Several thermal power plants in Ukraine have been destroyed as a result of Russian attacks, including the Zmiivska near Kharkiv and the Trypilska in the Kyiv region. Recently, the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration announced that the power plant in the city of Burshtyn also cannot be rebuilt after the Russian shelling.

Additionally, the Russians attacked distribution networks in Ukraine. All this has forced the energy sector to impose significant restrictions on consumers.

As reported by the operator Ukrenerho, schedules for power outages will be in effect on Saturday in Ukraine throughout the entire day.