As noted by the Ministry of Energy, as of October 21, consumers in the Donetsk, Lviv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv regions were left without power due to shelling and combat actions.
In these regions, equipment was damaged due to shelling of substations and overhead lines, leading to subsequent fires, which resulted in power outages for residential consumers and local industries.
Due to shelling and combat actions, consumers in the Donetsk, Lviv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv regions were left without power.
"In the past 24 hours, energy workers have restored power to 190,489 consumers who were disconnected as a result of combat actions and technological disruptions. In the morning, 585 settlements remain partially or completely without power due to combat actions and technical failures," — the Ministry of Energy noted.
According to energy experts, businesses must independently ensure they have backup power sources.
"Even in seemingly calm situations, it is still necessary to repair already damaged facilities. A turbine for a power plant cannot simply be purchased like a power bank. Therefore, for its repair or replacement, Ukraine either requests the provision of a unit from the mothballed power plants of friendly countries or orders it separately, which takes a significant amount of time," — notes Roman Nitsovich, Director of Research at the DiXi Group analytical center.
According to him, companies that began developing their own generating capacities in the spring and summer of 2024 are now approaching the commissioning of this equipment.
A turbine for a power plant cannot simply be purchased like a power bank. Therefore, for its repair or replacement, Ukraine either requests the provision of a unit from the mothballed power plants of friendly countries or orders it separately, which takes a significant amount of time.
He also reminded that Ukraine has a "5-7-9%" lending program.
"This program has been extended by the Cabinet of Ministers to those businesses that want to install their own generation. We see positive dynamics in applications for such loans and their approvals. However, approval of a loan does not mean the implementation of this project. It is necessary to purchase the appropriate equipment, install it, and put it into operation. Therefore, this certainly requires time," — explained Roman Nitsovich.
As energy expert Roman Nitsovich stated, the regulator already has plans to revise the maximum prices in organized market segments to maintain the commercial attractiveness of imports during peak consumption hours when the greatest deficit is expected.
"Therefore, it is obvious that such decisions will push the average weighted price upward. According to our estimates, for the next year, taking into account distribution tariffs, it will be from 9 UAH per kWh, and from 9 to about 11 UAH. If we talk about final consumers of the II class voltage, it will be around 10 UAH 40 kopecks, depending on the region and distribution tariff," — said Roman Nitsovich.
We remind you that with each massive shelling, the risk of new large-scale blackouts for Ukrainians in all regions of the country increases. Considering that Russia has already damaged almost all Ukrainian thermal power plants and a significant portion of hydroelectric power plants this year, as stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, it is likely that a difficult winter awaits everyone in the country.