Daily electricity imports will hit record highs today for 2024 after the latest wave of Russian missile attacks on critical infrastructure damaged electricity generation and distribution resulting in blackouts in many areas, Ukraine’s National Energy Agency said today (26/03/2024). Ministry of Energy.
The attacks, the largest of which occurred on Friday (22.3.2024), caused extensive damage to electricity generation and distribution infrastructure, forcing Kiev to halt electricity exports.
Electricity imports are expected to reach 18,649 megawatt hours (MWh) today from 14,900 on Sunday, the ministry said in a statement.
In contrast, Ukraine exported 3,300 MWh per day, a day before the first wave of Russian attacks on March 22.
Ukraine had been connected to the European Union’s unified grid in the first weeks of a full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. Electricity imports come from Romania, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and Moldova, its operator told Reuters. network Ukrenergo.
Ukraine, which has an extensive civilian nuclear power sector, was a net exporter of electricity before the invasion and subsequent Russian occupation of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
Extensive damage
In the northeastern border city of Kharkiv and parts of the southeastern region of Zaporizhia, 200,000 residents have been without electricity since the day of the attacks last Friday.
“Very extensive damage to the energy system makes it impossible to connect all residents and houses to the grid, and there are parts of the city where power outages last 4-6 hours,” Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov told state television. “Today the metro is already working, however…(other) electric means of transport are not working today in Kharkiv,” he said.
Volodymyr Kudrytsky, head of Ukrenergo, which manages the distribution network, said in a televised briefing in Kharkiv that the company has plans to restore electricity supplies.
“It is still difficult to guarantee any timetable, but we will need a period of 7-10 days, possibly two weeks, to restore power to the city normally. Provided there is no further disaster,” he said.
Emergency power outages are also occurring in the port city of Odessa in Ukraine’s Black Sea region.
Odesa Deputy Governor Serhiy Kropiva told state television that 23,000 residents were without electricity this afternoon while “the transportation system was almost fully restored.”
He also said that the Black Sea shipping corridor continues to operate despite the attacks.
“Ships depart periodically from all the ports located in the Odesa region,” Kropivas said.
Moscow has said Ukraine’s energy infrastructure is a legitimate target and such attacks are aimed at weakening Kiev’s military.
He also said the latest attacks were in retaliation for the Ukrainian attacks that overshadowed the re-election of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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