Freezing winter? Ukraine slow to repair +$1 billion damage to energy system in Russian attacks
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Ukraine could be in for a chilly winter as the country struggles to repair its energy transmission system destroyed by Russia last winter.
Only 1.6% of Ukrainian heating facilities heavily damaged by Russian attacks last winter have been repaired, while just 7% of the electrical grid has been restored, the National Commission for State Regulation of Energy and Public Utilities (NCSREPU) told the parliamentary committee on energy and housing on Aug. 4.
"Unfortunately, the figures about restoration works we observe as of July 1 don't allow us to be positive about going through the upcoming heating season successfully," NCSREPU chairman Kostiantyn Ushchapovskyi said.
About 13 million (UAH 482 million) worth of restoration has been carried out on Ukraine’s thermal power stations damaged in last winter’s attacks. Approximately 810 million (UAH 29.9 billion) worth of damage was sustained during the attacks.
Ukraine’s power operator UkrEnergo has restored about 18.5 million (UAH 681 million) worth of damage to the country’s transmission system. The system sustained $260 million (UAH 9.6 billion) worth of damage, said Ushchapovskyi.
"We analyze the situation. The statistics aren’t positive. These figures raise certain questions," the NCSREPU chairman said.
Despite repair being performed on time, it is mostly scheduled maintenance, which consumes the majority of material and financial resources.
"We need to accelerate additional funding in order for our power enterprises to focus on emergency repair," he added.
Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on July 31 that Ukraine is 60% ready for the upcoming winter's heating season.
Ukraine will use all nuclear units which are not located in Russia's occupied areas, the energy minister German Galushchenko said.
Ukraine will need all its power units connected to the grid – even old power plants that haven’t been used recently, said UkrEnergo Chair Volodymyr Kudrytskyi.
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