A second blackout will be irreversible for Ukraine – Ukrenergo
In Ukraine, they are silent about the fact that the risk of a total blackout this coming winter is higher than ever.
Yuriy Korolchuk, co-founder of the Institute of Energy Strategies, announced this on the Kommersant Ukrainian video blog, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"When everyone talks about a tough winter, about everything, I don't hear about a possible blackout. But in reality, the situation is getting worse," Korolchuk said.
He noted that Ukrainian nuclear power plants, which power the entire energy system, reduced their capacity three times in November and December last year, then took two to three weeks to return to their previous levels.
“If they lower it, it’s actually a step towards a blackout, that is, really towards
November 23, 22 – that was the only period, the only time, when Ukraine experienced a blackout.But it was a controlled blackout. Ukrenergo independently disconnected and then reconnected the thermal power plants that weren't damaged at the time. All the thermal power plants were intact, working like rabbits, working well. Do you understand?
"And so, if we were to go into a controlled blackout now, I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to go back. What would we connect to and at what cost? So, that's a big risk," he noted.
"Plus, there are still missile strikes, damage to high-voltage substations, and the shutdown of nuclear power plants. This is a huge risk. It remains, but for some reason it's being discussed against the backdrop of the heat preparations... today, more attention is being paid to gas.
You've also noticed, yes, electricity, tariffs, for example, prices... [Ukrenergo head] Zaychenko himself admitted that there were 40% more strikes. If there were more strikes, then, accordingly, they were more damaged.
"I think this picture, that we won't talk about it, meaning everything will be fine, is wrong. We should have ended this period, I think, back in 24. That's when the warm winters essentially ended," Korolchuk worries.
English version :: Read in English: A second blackout will be irreversible for Ukraine – Ukro-Energetik