Russian assault on Ukrainian energy sector triggers widespread outages

The Russian military launched an assault on the Ukrainian energy infrastructure, resulting in significant disruptions. Several cities now face electricity and water shortages, impacting essential services, including the emergency hotline.

In a comprehensive offensive against Ukraine’s infrastructure, reports from kresy.pl highlight statements by Volodymyr Kudritsky, head of Ukraine's electricity transmission operator. Kudritsky describes the onslaught as the most severe in Ukrainian history, specifically targeting the electricity generators of a hydropower plant near Zaporizhzhia, though the dams themselves were spared. Despite the damage, Kudritsky was reassured that there was no immediate threat of water release from the dam.

Ukraine's Energy Minister, Herman Galushchenko, disclosed that the attack damaged power plants and transmission and distribution systems, including those serving the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Kyiv Post reports that this assault pushed the nuclear facility to the brink of operational safety limits. Energoatom warned that should all lines to the plant be severed, it could lead to a major safety breach.

Ukrainian media indicate that regions including Sumy, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, and Odesa have experienced power outages. Reports from forsal.pl note that the attacks on infrastructure also targeted the Lviv and Vinnytsia regions.

As per Forum Energii, in 2020, coal and gas power stations supplied 21.8% of Ukraine’s electricity, while nuclear energy contributed 13.8% to the energy mix. Hydroelectric plants, run-of-river and pumped-storage, produced 5.3% of the electricity, with photovoltaics adding another 5%.