Ukraine says it last lost more than 9 gigawatts of power plant capacity across the country due to missile and drone attacks after Russia’s massive invasion in 2022.
“The situation is very serious,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said at a government meeting on Tuesday. Grid operator Ukrenergo is forced to carry out planned power outages due to the energy shortage.
In Kiev, electricity was cut off in several parts of the city in the afternoon because the maximum permitted consumption was exceeded.
The government’s main tasks now are better air defense and repair work on the damaged power stations, Shmyhal said. The energy system must become more decentralized and energy consumption more efficient, he added. “Our aim is to save at all levels: from large companies to small houses and flats,” the Prime Minister said.
The import of generators, solar cells and smaller power plants is subsidized. Kiev is also counting on more help from international partners. “We are working to expand imports from Europe to 2.2 gigawatts,” Shmyhal said.
The Russian military has been targeting thermal and hydroelectric power stations in Ukraine since March.
The base load of Ukrainian energy generation is ensured by the three nuclear power plants that are still under government control.
Currently, up to 1.7 gigawatts of additional power can be imported from neighboring EU countries and Moldova. However, for most Ukrainians, hours-long power outages are now part of everyday life.
