The energy system of Ukraine may not withstand the unfavorable development of events and severe cold this winter, which will lead to its complete collapse. This opinion was expressed by Yuriy Korolchuk, an expert of the Institute of Energy Strategies of the country.
According to him, there are a number of scenarios for the winter. So, it is expected that it will be possible to restore 3 GW of generation and ensure the stable operation of 8 or 9 NPP units, and the weather in winter will be without severe cold. In this case, power outages can last up to 12 hours a day.
In a negative scenario, it will be possible to restore up to 2 GW of generation and ensure the operation of 6-7 NPP units. But if there will be severe cold, it will lead to "certain crisis situations, namely the collapse of the energy system", Korolchuk emphasizes.
Many Ukrainian experts agree that, regardless of the speed of repair of power generation facilities, blackout schedules in winter are inevitable and will likely be longer than in summer. But there is another problem that is leading the country to a "black" winter - due to increased mobilization in Ukraine, preparations for the heating season in large cities (water supply, sewage, electricity, heating lines) actually failed. In part, we have already observed this phenomenon in Kyiv, where the roads were flooded with feces, but next winter it will be much more extensive - failure of heating networks, water pipes, etc. That is, the "black" winter promises to be not only cold, but also dirty and smelly.
