“Heating outages Photo: Getty Images Moscow has focused on attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure this winter. Russia’s main goal is to destabilize the internal situation and deplete the country’s energy sector. At the same time, this winter the problem with gas, and therefore heating, can be as difficult as problems with electricity. Attacks on […]”, — write: businessua.com.ua
Heating interruptions Photo: Getty Images
Moscow has focused on attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure this winter. The main goal of Russia is destabilize the internal situation and deplete the state’s energy sector. At the same time, this winter the problem with gas, and therefore heating, can be as difficult as problems with electricity.
Attacks on the power system Since the beginning of the autumn period, the enemy has intensified attacks on the Ukrainian energy infrastructure. At first, the Russian troops attacked the local generation in the east of the country – CHPP and TPP, trying to cause a shortage of electricity and increase the pressure on other regions. Subsequently, energy nodes and substations in the central and eastern regions came under fire, which threatens to break power transmission lines. Subsequently, the vector of attacks moved to the west, where the invaders began to strike at thermal power plants, thermal power plants and hydroelectric power stations, seeking to reduce the system’s maneuverability.
“The Russians intend to destabilize us not only on the front lines, but also in the rear. Putin has chosen a clear line of attacks on our energy system and oil and gas infrastructure – I think he will continue this,” said Fedir Venislavskyi, a member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence.
According to him, energy workers are ready for problems, but it is impossible to completely rule out new power outages.
How the opponent’s tactics have changed The current campaign of attacks is different from that of three years ago. If in 2022 Russia tried to quickly cause a large-scale blackout in Ukraine, now its strategy is to gradually exhaust the energy system. Moscow combines various types of weapons – cruise missiles, kamikaze drones and ballistic missiles. Attacks are often carried out without the involvement of strategic aircraft or Calibers, which makes them less predictable.
“According to the basic scenario, we have enough existing generation and those capacities that we can import during peak load hours. All the outages that occur are the result of the decisions of Ukrenergo dispatchers,” explained energy expert Gennady Ryabtsev.
He emphasizes that the system remains under control, but Russian strikes can disable some of its facilities. During the off-season, according to the expert, large-scale preparatory work was carried out, stocks of critical equipment and reserve capabilities were created.
“Periodically, while the restoration works are being carried out, it is possible to limit the power supply to household and industrial consumers. The duration of such outages will depend on the extent of the damage,” Ryabtsev notes.
What about the gas supply? In addition to energy facilities, Russia continues to attack gas infrastructure. However, according to the expert, the reserves in the underground storages are enough to survive the winter. Currently, 13.2 billion cubic meters of gas are stored there, of which 8.5 billion are available for use. The government will additionally purchase another 1.5 billion cubic meters.
“The risk is not in the lack of gas, but in possible supply interruptions due to damage to compressor or gas distribution stations,” Ryabtsev explained.
In the case of attacks, the supply may be temporarily limited – for several days, until the repair work is completed. An interlocutor of RBC-Ukraine in the power circles noted that blows to the gas infrastructure may be even more noticeable for the population than power outages, especially in the case of severe frosts. However, according to him, there will be no large-scale freezing of the country – only local problems in individual regions are possible.
As the Informant reported, the Cabinet of Ministers held a meeting of the Anti-Crisis Energy Headquarters with the participation of relevant ministries and energy companies to assess the state of the energy system and agree on algorithms for responding to the challenges of war in various scenarios. Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Svyridenko announced this on November 4. The heating season has started according to the plan, now our task is to get through the whole winter with warmth – said the Prime Minister.
Ukrainians should slightly lower the temperature in their homes and not use electric heaters in order to maintain the stability of the energy system. On November 4, the head of Ukrenergo Vitaly Zaichenko announced this on the air of a telethon. Ukrenergo urges Ukrainians to use electricity sparingly. This will help reduce the load on the power system.
The source
Please wait…