Ukraine intends to restore energy infrastructure before winter: Two plans revealed

Photo: Ukraine has prepared two plans (Getty Images)

Ukraine will soon offer international partners, in particular the G7 countries, to participate in the restoration of Ukraine’s energy sector, according to the RBC-Ukraine’s article “Minus nuclear plant capacity in two weeks: What awaits Ukraine over Russian energy strikes”.

As the agency finds out, two plans are proposed to be implemented in parallel.

Plan A will concern the restoration of damaged power facilities. “There is a clear understanding of what can be done before winter,” says a source familiar with the government’s intentions. This plan will be linked to the strengthening of air defense in Ukraine.

Plan B is to build low-powered power plants of any type – not just gas turbines. According to the agency, work is now underway to determine the number and locations of such stations. The emphasis is on the more problematic regions of the east and south of the country.

To speed up the construction of such critical facilities is planned to minimize bureaucratic obstacles to the design and issuance of permits for their placement. Some mandatory permits and approvals will likely be suspended.

A source familiar with the proposals tells RBC-Ukraine that there is a desire to have some of these power plants in place in some regions before the onset of winter. Some companies have already announced their readiness to carry out installation work in a few months. The main thing now is to find the equipment and organize the supply.

If the plan succeeds and is implemented, it will not be possible to fully compensate for the lost capacity, of course. However, additional small-scale generation facilities will significantly mitigate the situation in the face of electricity shortages.

Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure

In recent weeks, the Russian army has resumed attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. According to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Russia has taken out 6 gigawatts of Ukraine’s energy capacity with missile strikes over the past few weeks, destroying 80% of thermal generation (combined heat and power plant and thermal power plants).

In addition, Shmyhal said that after Russia’s massive strikes on the Ukrainian energy sector, the task of minimizing risks and ensuring the reliability of the energy supply has arisen. Repairs, decentralization of generation, and strengthening of air defense are planned.