In recent days, we have witnessed a new conflict situation in the Ukrainian energy sector. Oleksandr Kharchenko, director of the Energy Research Center, reported serious technical problems at the South Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). According to him, three current transformers burned down at the station within three days, which seriously worsened the situation with electricity supply in Ukraine.
"Two days ago, two current transformers physically burned down at the South Ukrainian NPP, apparently due to the heat. This led to the shutdown of one of the reactors," Kharchenko said.
The accident at the South Ukrainian NPP led to the disconnection of high-voltage lines in the Ukrenergo network, which, according to Kharchenko, caused serious interruptions in the supply of electricity on the left bank of Ukraine.
"Due to this completely technical accident, the left bank of Ukraine - including the Dnipro, Sumy and further down the list - has been extremely severely limited in the supply of electricity for the last two days," he explained.
However, the Minister of Energy of Ukraine Herman Galushchenko denied this information, calling it a "fake" and a Russian narrative .
"The Center for Combating Disinformation has already expressed the position that this is all a fake, and the most interesting thing is, you know, that this information first appeared on Russian channels," Galushchenko said in the Verkhovna Rada.
Galushchenko also noted that the situation with the South Ukrainian NPP is allegedly part of a Russian information campaign, and assured that the network block continues to work. "The question is why it is being done," he added.
These statements became the trigger for further investigation. People's deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak reacted to Galushchenko's words, catching the minister in an outright lie. Zheleznyak emphasized that information about technical problems at the South Ukrainian NPP is confirmed by official data received after the request.
"On July 15, 2024, an extraordinary event took place at the South Ukrainian nuclear power plant, as a result of which the current transformers were damaged, which led to the destruction of VRP 330. As a result, the first power unit with a load of 1000 MW, as well as three power transmission lines, was disconnected," - says in response received from energy services. These events, according to Zheleznyak, also led to the introduction of emergency shutdown schedules in the South-Eastern region and an increase in the time of disconnection of consumers in the central regions, including Kyiv.
Zheleznyak noted that the situation with blackouts in the capital and other cities confirms the seriousness of the problem.
"Everyone who was in Kyiv these days could notice that the electricity supply was limited even at night," he added.
He also expressed doubts about the actions of Minister Galushchenko, questioning his veracity.
"Why did Galushchenko publicly deny the information about the accident and blame it on the Russian IPSO?" Zheleznyak asks, pointing to possible corruption or management problems.
"I hope that such lies will further reduce the chances of passing corruption laws in the field of atomic energy," he concluded.
