Ukraine may face prolonged winter blackouts
(Baonghean.vn) - Ukraine is facing the risk of a second winter of prolonged power outages, while Russian missile and drone attacks have left parts of the country's energy system more vulnerable than a year ago.
Thousands of engineers in Ukraine have been working through the summer months to repair broken equipment, and Kiev's improved air defense systems are expected to help mitigate the impact of the fighting as temperatures begin to drop, Reuters reported.
But there is no more money or time to complete winter preparations, meaning more long nights without light, heat and water for millions of Ukrainians and more hardship for businesses and the country's economy.
“A lot of effort has been put into repairing what has been destroyed,” Marcus Lippold, head of the energy team at the European Union’s enlargement arm, said in Brussels this week. “Can we build more resilience? Are we in a better position than we were last winter? I don’t think so. It’s been a big effort, it’s been successful, but it needs to continue.”
Ukraine accused Russia of deliberately destroying energy facilities to cause maximum hardship for Ukrainian civilians. This accusation was denied by Moscow, which instead insisted that it did not target civilians, but only military facilities.
Reuters said the damage was extensive, but Ukraine refused to share detailed data on the impact of the attacks on its energy system, considering it sensitive information in wartime.
However, the United Nations estimated in June that Ukraine's electricity generation capacity had fallen to nearly half of its pre-Russian special military operation level in February 2022. The Kiev School of Economics research center estimated the direct damage to Ukraine's energy infrastructure as of June at $8.8 billion.
During the recent hot season, which ran from October to March and when temperatures dropped below zero, the average Ukrainian living far from the frontline spent about 35 days without electricity. That also tended to affect water supplies.
Last winter, Ukraine enjoyed relatively mild weather, quick repairs, nuclear power and electricity imported from Europe, but some officials predict conditions will be more difficult this time around.
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovy said in August that his western city of about 1 million people, despite being far from the front lines in the east and south, needed to prepare for up to two months without electricity.
"Will there be difficulties? Yes. Will there be supply constraints? I'm sure there will be," said Oleksandr Kharchenko, director of the Center for Energy Industry Research.
