Ukraine’s energy vulnerability: expert says many facilities are still unprotected
8 October 13:19
In many regions of Ukraine, regional high-voltage networks remain completely unprotected.
Director of the Energy Research Center Oleksandr Kharchenko told about this on the Espresso TV channel, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
According to the expert, Ukraine has actually abandoned the third level of protection of power facilities due to its extremely high cost.
“There is no third level of protection of energy facilities and it is not needed. As far as I understand, it was abandoned as soon as they saw its cost. Protecting one substation costs three or even four times more than the equipment itself,” Kharchenko explained.
He noted that instead, it is more expedient to create equipment reserves and adjust operations to possible damage.
“As for the second level, I, for example, was at the facility where it is installed. During the night, six Shaheds flew there, and in the morning the facility continued to operate. Where the second level of protection is really established, it shows excellent results,” the expert emphasized.
Kharchenko emphasized that a significant part of regional high-voltage networks remains without any protection, even the simplest.
“In many regions, high-voltage networks of 110 kV or average voltage of 35 kV are not protected by anything. Not even gabions. And believe me, even gabions help. Yes, less than the second level, but still. It often happens that fragments from an explosion 20 meters away already damage the equipment, and it does not work. If there were gabions, it wouldn’t be so scary,” the expert explained.
He added that even minimal protective measures could have significantly reduced the consequences of the shelling.
“There are always fewer direct hits than explosions nearby, within a radius of 10-30 meters, from which even the first level often helps,” Kharchenko said.
According to the expert, local authorities and energy companies should work more actively to fortify energy facilities.
“Fortification is necessary and it must be done. It is very sad that regional companies and local authorities have not actually made any efforts to do so. In some regions, nothing has been done,” summarized the director of the Energy Research Center.
