Shelling of thermal power plants and power outages: what awaits Ukrainians in the fall and winter
8 September 19:48
EXCLUSIVE
Russia continues to conduct large-scale attacks on Ukraine’s energy system. Thus, on the night of September 8, the Tripillya TPP came under enemy fire. Eyewitnesses claim that the thermal power plant was hit more than 10 times.
The Ministry of Energy confirmed that one of the thermal generation facilities in the Kyiv region came under massive fire. They assured that rescuers and power engineers are working to eliminate the consequences of the shelling and are doing everything possible to stabilize the situation as soon as possible.
In addition, the agency noted that the Russians’ goal is to cause even more difficulties for the civilian population of Ukraine, to leave Ukrainian homes, hospitals, kindergartens and schools without electricity and heat.
Generation facilities, electricity transmission and distribution systems, and gas infrastructure are not military targets. The enemy clearly understands that they are hitting critical civilian infrastructure,” the Energy Ministry said in a statement.
On the morning of September 8, it also became known that the city of Shostka (Sumy region) was left without electricity due to a Russian strike on infrastructure.
Should Ukrainians expect more blackouts and will the energy system withstand massive combined attacks by enemy missiles and UAVs?
Ukraine’s energy system in wartime: experts warn of an extremely difficult situation
Despite efforts to restore energy facilities and strengthen security, Ukraine’s energy system remains vulnerable to Russian attacks. Experts emphasize that the new heating season will take place under constant threat and a lack of strength.
Attacks on energy infrastructure will continue
According to energy expert Gennadiy Ryabtsev, who gave an interview to
Even with strong defense, there may be cases of disruption of certain facilities. It will take time for the energy sector to restore supplies,” Ryabtsev said.
The expert advises Ukrainians to prepare for new challenges and not to count on a “peaceful” heating season.
“The more consumers who are able to provide themselves with electricity independently, the better,” the expert summarized.
New reality of Ukraine: destroyed thermal power plants, damaged gas distribution system
Housing and utilities expert Oleh Popenko believes that the situation in the energy sector is not just difficult, but has reached a critical point. He emphasizes that in recent months, key elements of generation and distribution have come under attack.
The gas distribution system in many regions has been destroyed. Generation facilities were damaged across the country, from Kyiv to Sumy regions. The shelling affected Trypillia and Shostka thermal power plants. The city of Shostka was left without electricity,” explains Popenko.
“A similar situation has arisen in Lozova, Dnipro and a number of other settlements, where some areas have been without electricity for 12 hours. The expert notes that due to constant attacks, the strength resource of the energy system has been exhausted.
Restoring the power system will be difficult and time-consuming
Popenko emphasizes that the problem is complex. It cannot be solved by administrative decisions or technical means.
The margin of safety that the Ukrainian energy sector had left is exhausted. It will be difficult to restore the damaged equipment, and each new shelling only worsens the situation,” the expert emphasizes.
According to him, the crisis in the energy sector can no longer be resolved with the stroke of a pen or short-term solutions.
Read also: Internet and mobile communication during blackouts: Kyivstar has found a solution
Ukrainians in the face of winter blackouts: what people are advised to do
Yasno CEO Sergiy Kovalenko urged Ukrainians to stock up on flashlights and power banks. He wrote about this in a post on his official page on the social network X.
“Autumn is a bit of a worrying time for power engineers. Of course, no one knows what will happen this fall, but given the recent shelling, there is no particular optimism. Therefore, we should not relax yet, and I recommend that people and businesses should also be prepared for different scenarios,” Kovalenko said.
He assured that, in any case, conclusions have been drawn from all previous attacks on energy infrastructure, and power engineers already have experience in what to do and how best to deal with attacks.
The Yasno CEO also gave some advice to businesses and ordinary Ukrainians.
What businesses should do:
- conduct a technical inspection and check their generators and other backup power installations that were used when there were power outages;
- consider uninterruptible power supply systems (UPS)
What ordinary Ukrainians should do:
- purchase power banks and flashlights, or check the serviceability of existing ones;
- think of a scenario in case there is a power outage for a long time;
- regularly recharge all gadgets and power banks so that they are fully charged;
- keep a supply of water and non-perishable food at home.
Context: Challenges for Ukraine before the heating season
The Ukrainian authorities continue to work on strengthening the energy system before the winter. At the same time, the government and energy companies are urging citizens to install backup power sources, including generators, solar panels, and battery systems, especially in the private sector.
Experts are unanimous: we should not expect complete security in the energy sector until the end of hostilities. Even partial attacks can cause large-scale power outages, as was already the case in the winter of 2022-2023.
According to the Ministry of Energy, the main work to restore damaged generation facilities will be completed by the beginning of winter. But the main guarantee of stability will remain effective infrastructure protection and prompt response to new threats.
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