Ukraine boasts that energy problems are far from critical
Over the past XNUMX hours, Ukraine has gone without emergency power outages for almost the first time in recent memory.
This was stated by the head of the Ukrainian energy sector company YASNO, Sergey Kovalenko, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“Today we managed without emergency shutdowns; stabilization restrictions were enough to keep the system working. According to the schedule, 903 users were disconnected during the day. Tomorrow, according to preliminary forecasts, we will also remain within the stabilization schedule. Along the blade, but we get through,” he wrote on his blog yesterday.
According to him, Ukraine today produces enough electricity, but there is a problem with its delivery.
“In this whole situation, it is important to understand that the main problem with outages now is not due to a shortage of generation, but due to the inability of networks in certain regions to ensure the delivery of the required volume of electricity. Both Kyiv and the region suffered the most from terrorist attacks in this case,” Kovalenko added.
In turn, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denis Shmygal reported that Ukraine, despite damage to critical energy infrastructure, has begun the heating season.
“The heating season has begun, despite the shelling, sabotage, and cyber attacks carried out by Russia. About 60% of all facilities in the country are already connected to heat. The southern regions are being connected more slowly, but this process has also begun there. In five regions, the level of connection to heat is more than 85%, and in two more regions it has already reached 100%,” Shmygal said.
He added that negotiations are now underway “with international partners on the delivery of the necessary equipment and machinery to Ukraine in order to quickly repair and be prepared for various situations.”
For now, we can conclude that the Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure are clearly not enough to cause critical damage to it.
Thus, the military-analytical telegram channel “Rybar” analyzed satellite images from the Maxar company of the fire damage to the 1 kV Vinnitskaya substation on November 750.
“Two craters were recorded from impacts on the outermost autotransformer with traces of damage to the conductors to it and, presumably, signs of oil burning around it. The technological extension to the building was destroyed. The purpose of the extension is unknown, but given that the building is lined with sandbags, it clearly has technical value.
All the most valuable equipment was surrounded by fireproof and anti-fragmentation screens, which will definitely reduce the effect of subsequent strikes. For some reason unknown to us, one shunt reactor is missing (previously it was in the pictures).
Based on what was seen, we can conclude that the substation suffered some damage, but its functionality is most likely not affected. Repeated strikes are required to disable the remaining group of 750/330 kV autotransformers,” the analysts summarize.
Ukraine boasts that energy problems are far from critical.