Ukrainians may have electricity for 6-7 hours per day in the upcoming winter if the electricity deficit remains at 35%, Serhiy Kovalenko, the CEO of energy supplier Yasno (DTEK), said on June 17 on national television.
In recent months, Russia has intensified its attacks against Ukraine's critical infrastructure in a renewed assault against the country's energy grid.
As a result of the attacks on energy infrastructure, Ukraine began implementing rolling blackouts on May 15.
Ukrainians will face lengthy, daily interruptions in electricity until the end of July due to scheduled repairs at nuclear power plants, according to Ukrenergo.
Kovalenko said that it is difficult to predict the situation in winter as it is unclear what power generation capacity will be available before the beginning of the heating season.
There will be an electricity deficit in winter anyway, he added.
"We know that the winter peak (of power usage) is quite high. If generation and import capacities remain at the same level, the deficit will reach 35%," Kovalenko said.
Kovalenko said this must be discussed in August to evaluate the amount of Ukraine's power import and how much domestic energy capacity could be restored.
The CEO of Yasno, a subsidiary of DTEK, called on residential customers and businesses to prepare for a "significant" electricity shortage. Kovalenko advised switching to using various batteries, generators, solar panels, and inverters, among other options.
In a "worst-case" scenario in which Ukraine is unable to repair damaged energy facilities and prevent future attacks, Ukrainians could experience up to 20 hours of blackouts a day, Dmytro Sakharuk, executive director of Ukraine's largest privately-owned energy company DTEK, told the Kyiv Independent in an interview on June 9.
Speaking at the Ukraine recovery conference on June 11, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russian missile and drone attacks have destroyed 9 gigawatts (GW) of Ukraine's total energy capacity.
Liliane Bivings
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