On November 16-17, Russia damaged three of DTEK’s five thermal power plants.
As Reuters writes, it is unclear how long it will take for them to be fully restored. Currently, one of the stations is completely disabled.
Recall that after a pause in major attacks on the energy grid, Russia launched a salvo of more than 200 missiles and drones on Sunday, again raising concerns about an already weakened energy system. On Thursday, November 21, the first snow fell in Kyiv.
Revealing details of DTEK’s damage for the first time, the source said three power plants were damaged, one was still completely out of service, and it was unclear how long it would take to fully repair them.
The source said two facilities that were partially damaged have resumed partial power production.
Reuters writes that President Vladimir Zelensky said on Sunday that there had been a defeat of the energy infrastructure, but did not provide details. Kyiv often withholds information about the extent of damage to prevent Russia from using the data to better tailor its future attacks.
One energy official, who declined to be named, confirmed to Reuters that electricity-producing facilities were attacked and damaged on Sunday and said distribution stations were also targeted.
Energy officials announced Monday that for the first time in months, there will be hours-long blackouts across the country, reminiscent of the war’s first winter, when water and power outages sometimes continued into days.
Ukrainian officials say Russia has stockpiled hundreds of missiles to carry out new attacks, but have cautioned against projections they say play into Russia’s hands and create a sense of panic.
The source declined to disclose power loss figures, saying they were too sensitive.
Maxim Timchenko, CEO of DTEK, said Sunday that “serious damage” had been caused and called on Ukraine’s Western allies to supply more air defenses to prevent further damage.
The company previously said that before Sunday’s attack, DTEK had restored about half the capacity it had before the strikes began in March.
DTEK has six thermal power plants in territory controlled by the Ukrainian government. But one of them, in the eastern town of Kurakhovo, which is embroiled in fighting and which Russian troops are closing in on, has been dismantled so its parts can be used to repair other sites.
Thermal stations running on coal and gas traditionally account for a third of the country’s total electricity needs, the bulk of which is provided by nine power units of three nuclear power plants in the controlled territory of Kyiv.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.