“The main problem today in restoring capacity is money. Almost any type of equipment can be purchased on the market, it can be found — even rare equipment — and our procurement specialists have learned to locate even the most complex items. The key issue is that the energy sector today is in a situation where it is completely out of money, burdened by huge debts and lacking any financial resources. This is a serious problem, and it affects both private and state-owned companies, which are now in essentially the same condition,” Kharchenko said on Radio NV.
He said it is critically important to work intensively with partners to restore financial support for the energy sector.
“The first signals have already appeared. There is information about a $50 million grant from the World Bank, as well as a grant and a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for the power sector. But for now, these are just the first drops. We need a strong flow to secure sufficient resources for recovery, even during the period between winters,” said the director of the Center for Energy Research.
Kharchenko also said the process of decentralizing Ukraine’s energy system cannot be completed within one or two years and will have to proceed in parallel with repairing all the damage.
“At the same time, preparations must be underway for projects that will be implemented over three years, perhaps even five, but will ultimately result in a much more decentralized and protected system. Modern equipment has different dimensions than the massive Soviet-era plants. Modern facilities of almost any size can be protected. Such a decentralized and protected system would remain reliable even under attack,” he said.
On Jan. 27, Stanislav Ihnatiev, head of the council of the Ukrainian Renewable Energy Association, said repairs to energy facilities damaged during the massive strikes of 2022-23 are still ongoing, as restoring thermal power plants is a lengthy process due to the complexity and shortage of equipment.
He added that consumers would feel the full results of repairs at Kyiv’s CHP-5 and CHP-6 only in the next heating season, and that restoring full generation capacity before March this year is impossible.
On Feb. 3, Russian forces carried out the most powerful strike on Ukraine’s energy system since the start of the year.
Denys Shmyhal said Russian forces attacked eight regions of Ukraine, using multiple types of ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones. The strikes hit apartment buildings, combined heat and power plants, and thermal power plants that were operating exclusively in heating mode in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Dnipro, he said.