Officials stated that Ukrainian electricity consumption was approaching record highs on Friday, putting additional strain on the frail power infrastructure as over 500 settlements experienced blackouts due to Russian shelling, air strikes, and severe weather.
Grid operator Ukrenergo said Ukraine, an electricity exporter before Russia’s invasion in February 2022, has been forced to rely on emergency power imports from neighboring Romania and Poland this week to meet demand.
“The power system remains in a difficult situation. At the moment, there is no free capacity at power plants”, Ukrenergo continued.
After months of Russian missile and drone raids pummelling crucial infrastructure last winter, the energy sector is approaching entering a second winter at war in considerably worse shape.
These strikes left towns in the dark and forced residents to go without water or heat for extended periods in the brutal cold. Even though the power grid has been crippled, Ukrainians believe that improved air defenses provided by the West will help them prevail.
In the wake of ongoing Russian aggression, some two years after Moscow’s invasion in which it captured large portions of the east and south, or nearly a fifth of the country, Ukrenergo advised citizens to reduce their electricity consumption.
In a statement, the grid operator said, “This morning Ukrenergo again recorded a high level of consumption, which is almost equal to yesterday’s record”, adding that consumption was at its highest levels thus far this heating season.
According to the report, consumption increased by 4% on Thursday over the previous day.
In a statement, the Kyiv government claimed that inclement weather, shelling, strikes, and fighting had left 492 villages in Ukraine without electricity.
Thus far this winter, Russia has continued its attacks on the nation’s energy infrastructure, launching scores of drones nearly every night to target power plants and distribution systems all around the nation.
As per the Ukrenergo, consistent and protracted shelling has repeatedly damaged a thermal power plant in the east.
Later, the energy ministry announced that three power units at the plant in a frontline zone were not operational, affecting the electricity grid.
It went on to say that the complex was shelled twice during the day, with new damage to equipment being reported.
It also stated that a power station in another region had been shut down for emergency maintenance. Because of the country’s dense cloud cover, solar power plants cannot operate.
