Ukraine Faces Critical Winter for Energy Survival – Shmyhal
Фото: Денис Шмигаль/Фейсбук
The coming winter could become a critical test for Ukraine’s energy sector as Russia is expected to intensify strikes on the country’s power infrastructure and attempt to disrupt access to nuclear energy generation.
This was stated by Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal during the Forbes Ukraine conference.
According to him, the Russian Federation continues to use a strategy of attrition and purposefully attacks the most vulnerable elements of the energy infrastructure.
“Next winter will be a decisive battle. The Russians will try to cut us off from nuclear generation,” Shmyhal emphasized.
The minister reported that Ukraine is already transitioning to a new energy system model based on the principle of “energy honeycombs.”
This is a multi-level system with partially autonomous elements so that an attack on one facility does not lead to a large-scale power outage across the country.
The new model provides for four levels of protection and generation:
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- state—large-scale nuclear power plants, hydroelectric power plants, thermal power plants, and main networks
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- regional – reserves and separate resilience plans for each region
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- local – autonomous power supply of hospitals, schools, water utilities, and district heating
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- household level—condominiums, cooperatives, and businesses will be able to independently generate and store electricity
Shmyhal separately drew attention to the imbalance between the Right Bank and Left Bank of Ukraine.
According to him, most of the generation is currently located on the right bank of the Dnieper, so the government wants to actively develop new capacity on the Left Bank.
“The Left Bank is a priority for us, and we must make it self-sufficient,” the minister said.
The Cabinet of Ministers has also already approved resolutions on tenders for the construction of a new generation with a total capacity of 1.4 GW. They are planned for announcement in the coming months.
Shmyhal added that digital energy management will play a key role in the new system—from local meters to the coordination of nuclear generation.