Ukraine Welcomes Third Winter in War: Energy Crisis and Quest for Independence
Ukraine is bracing for what could be the toughest winter yet as it enters the third winter of war. The country’s energy infrastructure is facing significant challenges, with many residents and businesses seeking ways to reduce reliance on the central power grid, including installing solar panels and purchasing generators.
From the beginning of this year, Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, carrying out at least 11 major missile and drone strikes since March. Approximately half of Ukraine’s generating capacity has been destroyed, and the distribution network has also suffered severe damage.
In Kyiv, daily power outages lasting 8 hours have become the norm, with people scheduling their daily lives around the availability of electricity. Some residents living on the top floors of high-rise buildings opt to wait in nearby cafes until the power comes back on to use the elevator to return home, avoiding the need to climb stairs.
Some residents and businesses have started installing new power generation equipment to become independent from the central energy system.
Energy supplier Yasno has stated that they provide electricity and natural gas to over 3.5 million consumers and up to 100,000 businesses, offering options such as solar panels, batteries, and inverters.
The company mentioned that in the fall of this year, they installed power equipment with a capacity of 8 megawatts (MW), enough to supply power to a dozen businesses, with plans to install 30 to 35 MW of equipment next year.
The CEO of the company stated, “Overall, from small consumers to businesses, Ukraine is moving towards a stable trend of energy independence.”
Russia has either sabotaged or destroyed all of Ukraine’s thermal and hydroelectric power plants. Ukraine is increasingly relying on nuclear power generation, making it difficult to balance power supply in the grid, especially during peak hours in the mornings and evenings.
According to estimates from the Kyiv School of Economics, the total losses in Ukraine’s energy sector exceed $56 billion, including $16 billion in direct material losses and over $40 billion in indirect economic losses.
Ukraine is taking measures to protect its energy system by constructing protective structures, forming mobile drone hunting teams, and collaborating with partners to introduce more anti-aircraft systems. However, it still lacks sufficient resources to protect facilities nationwide.
Following each Russian attack, the government, energy companies, engineers, and Ukraine’s partners are working tirelessly to restore and rebuild what they can, but the winter weather may complicate the situation further.
Ukrainians are hoping for a mild winter this year. The DIXI Group in Kyiv estimates that if the winter is severe, electricity consumption will exceed that of last winter, which reached a peak consumption of 18 gigawatts (GW).
Ukraine is increasing its electricity imports from neighboring Western countries, buying generators and shifting towards alternative energy sources, including solar panels, batteries, and small gas turbine generators.
To cope with frequent power outages, some businesses are purchasing generators. The owner of a candy bakery in Kyiv stated that he bought an industrial generator because he needs electricity to bake bread and make pastries and candies.
However, he mentioned that this has increased the cost of his products, “The cost of a kilowatt-hour is usually 5 to 6 times higher.”
Generators are only suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and are considered temporary solutions. To assist large enterprises, the government has reached agreements with Ukraine’s Central European neighbors to increase electricity imports to 2.1 gigawatts from December 1. The cost of importing electricity is also high.
Ukraine’s Western allies are helping drive the country’s energy transition towards cleaner and more sustainable modes by initiating several projects. Ukraine has also amended some laws to streamline equipment procurement and import processes.
Solar panels are starting to appear on rooftops of private homes, residential buildings, schools, hospitals, and other public structures.
On the rooftop of a 16-story residential building in Kyiv, a row of solar panels has been installed. The head of the housing association in this residential area stated that residents came up with this solution during power outages in the summer and hope that these solar panels will help approximately 1,000 households in the building get through this winter.
The total cost of the installed solar panels is around 950,000 hryvnias (approximately $23,000), with two-thirds subsidized by the Ukrainian government and the Kyiv city authority. The head and residents are planning to install more panels on other buildings next year.
Official data shows that Ukraine has installed around 1.5 gigawatts of solar panels. However, considering Ukraine’s needs and the damage caused to energy infrastructure by the war, these changes are just the beginning.
(Reference: based on reports from Reuters)