Popenko on Darnytsia Thermal Power Plant: It is too early to talk about complete destruction, but the situation is critical
3 February 14:54
After Russia’s massive missile and drone strike on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on the night of February 3, information about the possible destruction of the Darnytsia Thermal Power Plant in Kyiv remains unconfirmed.
This was stated in a comment to "Komersant Ukrainian" by Oleg Popenko, head of the Union of Utility Consumers.
According to him, there are currently no official technical conclusions confirming the complete destruction of the thermal power plant.
“There is no accurate information about the destruction of the thermal power plant. There are only insinuations and publications claiming that the authorities must acknowledge the destruction of TPP-4. But there is a huge gap between a hit and complete destruction,” Popenko said.
At the same time, he stressed that the authorities actually recognize serious problems with heat supply on the left bank of the capital.
In particular, the head of the Darnytskyi District State Administration, Oleksandr Koltunov, stated that the situation with heat supply in the district is critical. Approximately half of the Darnytskyi district is supplied with heat from TPP-4.
According to Popenko, a similar situation is observed in the Dnipro district of Kyiv.
“It is a fact that the restoration of heat supply may take weeks. But I would not say that the Darnytskyi CHPP has been completely destroyed,” he stressed.
The head of the Union of Utility Consumers also recalled that in other cities of Ukraine, thermal power plants withstood several hits and then resumed operation.
“Some thermal power plants were hit 5-7 times, and they continued to operate. Therefore, it is nonsense to talk about complete destruction. This is a very difficult situation, but not destruction,” Popenko said.
According to him, it is premature to talk about the approximate timing of the restoration.
“Only those who were directly at the facility and conducted a technical survey can say that. Only after that can any predictions be made,” the expert explained.
What is known about Russia’s attack on the night of February 3
On the night of February 3, Russia carried out its most powerful attack on Ukraine’s energy sector since the beginning of the year, according to DTEK. Power generation and distribution facilities in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and the Odesa region were hit.
The company noted that the power system is operating with serious limitations, and thousands of consumers are without electricity. Emergency power cuts have been introduced in the Darnytskyi and Dniprovskyi districts of Kyiv after the shelling.
