Ukraine may be without power for 20 hours if the winter is cold and nuclear power plants are attacked by Russians.
Politico writes about this with reference to the opinion of energy experts.
Every winter during the war in Ukraine has been difficult, but the next season will come after months of Russian air strikes on energy infrastructure.
At the end of August alone, Russia fired more than 200 missiles and drones at energy facilities, capping a campaign that has reduced Ukraine’s electricity generation capacity by more than 9 GW, according to Gennadiy Ryabtsev, a senior researcher at the National Institute for Strategic Studies and an energy market expert. This is the loss of eight power plants and more than 800 heating facilities.
According to Ryabtsev, the “most realistic scenario” the country will face this winter includes limiting “electricity supply to industry and households for 8-14 hours a day.”
With the severe cold snap and new strikes on the nuclear power system, Ukraine could face blackouts of up to 20 hours a day, says Oleksandr Kharchenko, head of the Center for Energy Research and an energy adviser to the Ukrainian government.
This means no heat in homes, shutdowns of war-critical factories, and Ukrainians fleeing abroad for refuge.
“I’m very worried,” said Victoria Gryb, an independent Ukrainian MP who chairs the parliamentary subcommittee on energy security. “The situation is really critical, and I hope that international partners will help us as soon as possible.”
It is an assessment shared by Ukraine’s allies as Kyiv appeals for immediate assistance.
“We’re expecting a very harsh winter,” said one senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to speak candidly. “People will die in their homes because Russia is destroying the energy infrastructure.”