(Kyiv) Ukrainian authorities called on Thursday to reduce electricity consumption after a strike on a thermal power station near the front, the first call of this kind as the cold weather approaches and in the face of the threat of new Russian bombings.
This call comes at a time when Western aid to Kyiv, which notably enabled it to withstand Russian bombings against its energy system last year, is threatened by political dissension.
An envelope of 50 billion euros planned to consolidate European support for Ukraine is blocked by the reluctance of certain member states, just like new American aid, slowed down in Congress by Republican elected officials.
In the meantime, Ukraine fears a new campaign of Russian attacks on its power plants and infrastructure, as during the previous winter when millions of Ukrainians were deprived of heat or electricity.
On Thursday, a Russian attack targeted “a thermal power plant in the front line zone,” the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy said in a press release, without giving the exact location of this site.
“The equipment was seriously damaged,” he added, specifying that “two electrical units” had been shut down.
“Due to the shutdown of these thermal units, as well as a drop in the outside temperature (related to the weather and which leads to an increase in consumption, Editor’s note), a temporary electricity shortage is reported in the network “, he continued.
The ministry therefore called on “consumers to support energy sector workers” by using electricity “wisely and economically, especially during peak hours”.
Electricity imports
On Facebook, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Chmygal clarified that this shortage was linked to “a drop in temperatures, emergency repairs and the limited operation of solar power plants due to cloudy weather”.
“The government and energy companies are calling on everyone to reduce their electricity consumption, especially from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.,” he wrote.
In particular, he recommended that Ukrainians not plug in appliances that consume a lot of energy at the same time, postpone machine washing until nighttime and reduce the brightness of business signs.
“All this could help us avoid introducing energy cuts,” he added.
On November 23, the operator Ukrenergo had already reported a “difficult” situation on the Ukrainian electricity network, damaged by Russian bombings last year.
Ukrenergo then announced that he had to resort to “emergency assistance” from three neighboring countries: Romania, Slovakia and Poland.
On Thursday, the Prime Minister recalled that the operator was “forced” to request these emergency imports of electricity from Europe, but that these requests “did not always” have guaranteed results.
So far, Russia has not carried out new massive bombings on the electricity grid, but in early October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Moscow would work this winter to “destroy” his country’s electricity system. .
To face this threat, Kyiv is demanding new anti-aircraft defense systems from its Western allies.