Ukraine has ordered 100 new high-voltage transformers, half of which will be produced domestically, and half will be purchased abroad. Upon arrival, foreign cargo will be stored in Poland and Romania until needed.
This is stated in the material of The Economist.
Ukraineʼs energy minister Herman Halushchenko states the country is preparing for new attacks on the power system, but because it no longer has excess capacity and little spare equipment, it is much more vulnerable than last year. Ukraineʼs allies allocated money, but most of it goes through international financial organizations. Equipment procurement processes are very slow.
With the financial and physical help of their allies, Ukrainian engineers are working around the clock to repair everything possible before the coming winter. This is in addition to the regular maintenance of a system with legacy equipment.
According to a report by the United Nations Development Program, energy capacity in April 2023 was down 51% from just before the Russian invasion in February 2022. Due to the loss of control over the Zaporizhzhia NPP (the largest in Europe), the capacity of the nuclear power industry decreased by 44%.
- On October 10, 2022, Russia began attacking Ukraineʼs energy infrastructure. In the period from October 2022 to February 2023, the Russians carried out 225 strikes on 112 objects of critical civilian infrastructure of Ukraine. Damages to Ukraineʼs infrastructure exceed $10 billion — this applies to the energy, gas, and heat industries.
- On September 16, 2023, the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain reported that Russia was preparing to attack the energy infrastructure of Ukraine — the occupiers would strike like last year. On September 20, Ukrainian intelligence reported that strikes on the energy sector could begin as early as October, and Russia is now investigating its state. Ukrenergo substations have already been protected from missile attacks by fortifications.
- On September 21, during rocket fire in Rivne, the power infrastructure was hit, and part of the city was left without electricity.