The Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal informed that Ukraine will strengthen the protection of energy facilities by the next heating season. Some of them will be moved underground.
He announced this at a press conference on March 3.
"We have already developed appropriate projects for the protection of energy facilities: from concrete covers to underground recesses to a level sufficient so that neither drones nor missiles can damage the distribution network," Shmyhal noted.
According to him, Ukraine will work on energy infrastructure protection projects throughout the year. Air defense systems have already been installed at many stations.
- Despite the Russian strikes on the energy sector, which began on October 10, there has been no capacity deficit in Ukraineʼs energy system for 20 days and is currently not forecast. On February 12, for the first time in a long time, a significant electricity surplus occurred in the Ukrainian energy system. At that time, the head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Energy and Housing and Communal Services Andriy Herus stated that a dilemma may arise in the near future: during the day, the electricity surplus should be "poured into the ground" (limit solar power plants, but still pay for the "limited" electricity) or allow export electricity during daytime hours.
- Herus also noted that the introduction of batteries and accumulators (energy storage) to store electricity during the day and release it to the network in the evening is becoming an urgent issue. However, such technologies are quite expensive, this issue is currently being worked out.