Ukraine has been forced to cut its nuclear power generation due to recent attacks by the Russian military. This announcement was made by Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal on February 26.
Shmyhal reported that emergency shutdowns of several high-voltage lines occurred as a result of the latest Russian strikes on the country’s energy infrastructure. He stated,
“To balance the system, it was necessary to reduce nuclear power generation. Additionally, Ukrenergo has implemented further restriction schedules across the ‘deficient’ parts of the energy system,”
he added.
On Thursday, the Energy Headquarters convened for another meeting. Since January 14, under the directive of President Volodymyr Zelensky, a state of emergency has been in effect in Ukraine’s energy sector due to ongoing Russian attacks and worsening weather conditions. The headquarters has been regularly meeting to address the consequences of this emergency.
Shmyhal also mentioned that Ukrainian delegations are visiting European countries, including Slovakia, Austria, and Croatia, seeking to acquire equipment from decommissioned thermal power plants in these partner nations.
On February 13, Shmyhal indicated that Ukrainian specialists and their partners are searching for Soviet-era thermal power plants and stations in Eastern Europe to salvage parts for repairs and rapid restoration of Ukrainian facilities.
Both the Ministry of Energy and Ukrenergo have reported on the aftermath of the large-scale Russian attack on February 26, which targeted energy facilities across several regions. As a result, consumers in Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, and Kharkiv regions experienced power outages.
President Zelensky noted that the nighttime assault on February 26 resulted in significant damage to numerous residential buildings and critical infrastructure in eight regions. Reports indicate that dozens were injured, including children.
Ukraine has reduced its nuclear power output following Russian military strikes that damaged energy infrastructure on February 26. The attacks led to power outages in multiple regions and prompted emergency measures from the government.