Urgent action needed for energy infrastructure -DTEK CEO

In the wake of Russian volleys on the Ukrainian power sector, DTEK CEO Maxim Timchenko held an online briefing Thursday to discuss the sector and the critical state it has been placed in, characterised by rolling blackouts and halted electricity exports.

The online session was arranged from a bomb shelter due to the air raid alert in Kyiv. Here are the key messages:

Energy facilities under massive miles attack

Dozens of rockets hit energy infrastructure facilities in 11 regions and the city of Kyiv. There were problems with water supply in 8 regions. Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) and Combined Heat and Power Plants (CHPPs) were shelled in central, western, eastern and southern parts of Ukraine.

During 10 and 11 October about 30% of Ukraine's energy infrastructure was hit by Russian missiles.

DTEK TPPs were attacked as well: Burshtynskaya TPP in the Ivano-Frankivsk Region, Ladyzhynska TPP in the Vinnytsia Region, and Prydniprovska TPP in the Dnipropetrovsk Region were damaged.

At the moment DTEK is assessing the damage and has started repair work. In general, starting from 24 of February, losses in the company are measured in billions of UAH (1 UAH = 0.027 USD), and as of 24 February, 85 DTEK employees have died and 15 are missing.

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Necessary actions and needs

Now and throughout the winter, Ukraine will need air defense systems to protect energy infrastructure facilities.

And, according to the utility, due to the shelling of critical infrastructure facilities, DTEK is currently in dire need of various electrical equipment to restore power supply, including:

• Mobile substation 154 kW (40 kWA transformer + set of switchgear 110, 35, 10, 6 kW)
• Cables 6-10 kW with XLPE insulation (oil-paper acceptable)
• Power transformers · 40-63 MWA 150/35/10 kW · 16-63 MWA (150)110/35/10 kW · 16 MWA 35/10 kW
• Switchgear · Circuit breaker 110 kW SF6 · Vacuum circuit breaker 35 kW
• The list of urgently needed equipment for DTEK Energy:
• Circuit breaker ABB LTB-420E2 or analogue I=3150A, U=400 kW, I disconnect=40 kA
• Circuit breaker ABB LTB-420E2 or analog I=3150A, U=400 kW, I disconnect=40 kA
• Circuit breaker HPL 245B1 or analog I=3150A, U=220 kW, I disconnect=50 kA
• Current transformer 220 kW Koncar AGU-245 1200/1U=220 kW, class 0.2S, 5P or similar
• 330 kW SF6 circuit breaker type LTB 420E2
• Current transformer 330 kW
• Current transformer 330 kW ABB (busbar switch)
• Coupling capacitor 110/√3 2100 F (air line 238)
• Insulator IOS-35/1000

Rolling blackouts

As a result of Russian missile attacks on October 10 on the territory of Ukraine, rolling blackouts have been implemented in four regions of Ukraine and Kyiv.

The system operator of Ukraine's energy system NEC ‘Ukrenergo’ did not submit a request for emergency assistance from European countries to stabilise the energy supply. It was possible to balance the system at the expense of internal resources.

The restriction of consumption in Kyiv and the central region is not related to a shortage of resources, but to the damage of the infrastructure. Stable electricity supply throughout the country is planned to be restored in a few days.

Webinar Recording: Ukraine’s power sector: Extraordinary challenge & need

Export of electricity

Ukraine has stopped exporting electricity due to Russian missile attacks on energy facilities. Ukrainian electricity, which was exported after synchronisation to the EU and via separate lines to Moldova and Poland, helped Europe support the stability of the European energy system.

Although the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has been under Russian occupation for more than seven months, was shut down, Ukraine fulfilled its obligations to European partners regarding electricity export.

However, rocket attacks on October 10 and 11, which hit the thermal generation and electrical substations, forced Ukraine to suspend electricity exports from 11 October 2022, to stabilise its own energy system.

Exporting electricity from Ukraine helped Europe reduce the consumption of Russian energy resources. And that – stated Timchenko – is why Russia is destroying the country’s energy system, killing the possibility of exporting electricity from Ukraine.