DTEK Group, the largest owner of Ukrainian generation capacity, provided the following update on 13 October via an online briefing by its CEO Maxim Timchenko that took place during an air raid alert in Kyiv.
• Energy facilities under attack:-
On October 10, there were attacks on the civilian population. DTEK has characterised this as an act of terrorism.
Dozens of rockets hit energy infrastructure facilities in 11 regions and the city of Kyiv. There were problems with water supply in 8 regions. Power plants were shelled in central, western, eastern, and southern parts of Ukraine;
During 10 and 11 of October about 30% of Ukraine's energy infrastructure was hit by Russian missiles;
DTEK is assessing the damage and has started repair work. In general, since 24 of February DTEK losses are measured in billions of UAH (Ukraine hryvnia). The biggest losses are human – 85 company employees have died and 15 are missing.
• Rolling blackouts:-
As a result of Russian missile attacks on October 10, rolling blackouts have been launched in four regions of Ukraine and Kyiv.
The restriction of consumption in Kyiv and the central region is not related to a shortage of resources, but to the damage of the infrastructure and the necessary restoration work. Stable electricity supply throughout the country was planned to be restored in a few days.
• Export of electricity:-
Ukraine has stopped exporting electricity due to Russian missile attacks on energy facilities. Ukrainian electricity, exported following synchronisation to the EU and via separate lines to Moldova and Poland, has helped support the stability of the European energy system.
The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant has been under Russian occupation for more than 7 months, and was shut down, but Ukraine still fulfilled its obligations to European partners regarding electricity export.
But the rocket attacks on October 10 and 11 forced Ukraine to suspend electricity exports to stabilise its own energy system. That is why it is important to end the occupation of Energodar city, where, in addition to the ZNPP, there is a thermal PP owned by DTEK. The liberation of Energodar will increase export capacity to 1000 MV by the end of the year and allow electricity export even in the winter season.
• Necessary actions and needs:-
Now and throughout the winter, Ukraine will need air defence systems more than ever to protect energy infrastructure facilities.
Equipment is needed urgently to ensure at least temporary operation of the energy infrastructure. Owing to the shelling of critical infrastructure facilities, DTEK is currently in dire need of electrical equipment to restore the power supply, including a mobile substation, 10 kW XPLE insulated cabling, power transformers, current transformers, switchgear, circuit breakers and coupling capacitors.
• On 18 October Russian troops launched another series of attacks on the civil and energy infrastructure of Ukraine. DTEK's facilities have been damaged. As a result of several air strikes, seven employees were injured and one killed.