Ukraine’s DTEK loses 50% of generating capacity, recovery will take 'months'
Ukraine's largest private energy company, DTEK, lost 50% of its generating capacity due to Russia’s March 22 mass attack on the country’s energy system, the CEO of one of its subsidiaries said on March 24.
Speaking on national television, Serhii Kovalenko of Yasno said it will take “months” for the network to recover, and the full extent of the damage and what will be required to fix it is still being assessed.
"DTEK Group has lost 50% of its generating capacity. We can officially say this information," he said.
The Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant, Ukraine's largest hydroelectric station, was hit with eight Russian missiles on March 22 during the biggest attack on the country's energy infrastructure since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
The Hydroelectric Power Station-2 (HPS-2), one of the two stations of Zaporizhzhia's Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant, was in critical condition following the attack.
The dam itself suffered damage as well, but officials said already on March 22 that there was no risk of a breach.
Read also: Ukrainian drones hit one Russian oil refinery after another
Kovalenko said the Russian attack was particularly damaging as it targeted both generating and distribution parts of the Ukrainian energy system.
"Several types of generating capacities were hit, a large number of thermal power plants were hit, and a hydrogen-generating facility was hit," he said.
"The second part is that the enemy hit a lot of Ukrenergo network nodes, transformers, etc... This attack simultaneously destroys the system's ability to transmit electricity and undermines our generation capabilities."
Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have continued in the days since – parts of the city of Odesa were left without electricity after being targeted by drones overnight on March 25.
DTEK said the attack had damaged a high-voltage power facility, adding: "Emergency shutdowns are in place in the city and district."
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