Large-scale blackouts continue in Ukraine. It resumed for the first time since the summer, after the Russian military’s retaliatory attack on the Ukrainian energy system. The head of the Ukrainian government said that the biggest blackouts are in Odessa and Dnieper.
“Energy engineers repair damaged equipment 24 hours a day. During this time it was possible to restore the supply of light, heating and water to residents of the Vinnitsa, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv and Rivne regions. Currently, about 220,000 subscribers remain without power supply in the Odessa region, where the situation is most difficult, and in the Dnipropetrovsk region.” – said the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denis Shmygal.
Previously, at noon, DTEK reported that in Odessa and the region alone 321 thousand consumers remained without power supply. At the same time, some residents were without power for a second day.
The Ukrainian energy system operator reported that this situation “helped” reduce electricity consumption in the country by 5%. According to him, blackouts continue in most regions of Ukraine.
“Scheduled and emergency repairs at power facilities continue. “There continues to be a significant energy deficit in the energy system,” – reports Ukrenergo.
At the same time, EU electricity imports remain low due to high prices. Today there will be 3.4 GWh of the 50.4 GWh technically possible.
The situation is complicated because frost is expected to reach Ukraine at the end of the week. Ukrhydrometcenter forecaster Natalia Ptukha reported that from November 23 to 25 the temperature in the country could drop to minus 10 degrees Celsius and the next day it will snow in most of the country.
As reported EADaily On Sunday, the Russian military launched a retaliatory missile and drone attack against Ukraine’s power grid. Judging by the statements of Ukrainian companies and the IAEA, the remaining thermal power plants and central substations through which electricity is supplied, including nuclear power plants, which are the main source of generation, were affected. They account for up to 75% of the country’s electricity production after most thermal plants were destroyed in retaliatory attacks.
“DTEK thermal power plants were attacked. As a result of the attacks, plant equipment was severely damaged,” reported DTEK, the largest thermal power plant operator.
“Although the Khmelnitsky, Rivne and Southern Ukraine nuclear power plants were not directly damaged or shut down, several substations on which they depend suffered additional damage during the attacks,” the IAEA Director General said in a report on the situation in Ukraine. , Rafael Grossi with reference to the national regulator of Ukraine. “The main power lines of four substations were disconnected.”
The agency stated that of the nine reactors currently operating at three nuclear power plants (with a total capacity of approximately 7.8 GW), six have reduced their productivity, to 40-90%: “At this time, only two reactors are operating at 100 percent capacity, and one is out of service for maintenance.”
Ukrainian telegram channels are actively discussing the version that the retaliatory strike was also a warning to the kyiv regime, which, as Western media write, received permission from the United States to launch limited missile strikes deep into Russia.
“In fact, yesterday they warned us that they would destroy the entire energy system, but for Bankova (Office of the President) this is not a factor in decision-making; Zelensky is ready for a debilitating war. Now it is up to Bankova to decide if we will have electricity in winter or if the country will be completely blacked out.” —writes the Telegram channel Residente.
