Power outage schedules could last for several more years – expert

Emergency power outages without clear schedules have been ongoing in many regions of Ukraine for almost two weeks. A full return to stable schedules could take several years.

This was stated by the director of the Energy Research Center, Oleksandr Kharchenko, in an interview with Telegraf

According to him, Kyiv has virtually no generation left. The facilities are either destroyed or damaged to such an extent that rapid restoration is impossible. The capital is completely dependent on external power supplies, where numerous damages have also been recorded.

“I can hope that in about 5-7 days in Kyiv it will be possible to at least work clearly according to the schedule,” Kharchenko noted.

He explained that the previous schedules stopped working due to a sharp increase in consumption. According to him, after the light comes on, people turn on all electrical appliances at the same time, which makes it impossible to predict the load.

“Previously, the house consumed 100 kW, now it consumes 300. To create new graphs, you need to collect new statistics,” the expert said.

Kharchenko also reported that the launch of gas piston units in Kyiv has been accelerated. According to him, the pace of work is now at its maximum, and the equipment will be launched immediately after technical readiness.

At the same time, the expert explained the difference in schedules between regions by the configuration of networks and the nature of damage. According to him, the situation in each region depends not on the availability of power plants, but on the condition of the specific infrastructure.

Assessing the prospects, Kharchenko voiced the worst-case scenario: outage schedules could persist for another two to three years.

“This is a pessimistic scenario. It will be easier during the warm period, but in certain months of the year we will live with schedules for several more years,” he noted.

According to the expert, the predictability of outages directly depends on the security situation.
“If there are no attacks, there will be predictability,” Kharchenko added.

Warming, according to his assessment, can reduce consumption and add one and a half to two hours of electricity supply per day, but it cannot completely solve the problem.

As previously reported, Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said that Kyiv may switch to the predicted power outage schedules in the coming days.

Let us recall that the Russians have changed the tactics of shelling Ukrainian energy facilities : previously, the occupiers dispersed attacks across several areas, but now they are concentrating strikes on a specific region or large city.