Ukrenergo: Energy situation in Ukraine expected to improve in August

The state of Ukraine's electricity grid is expected to improve in August, Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, the head of state grid operator Ukrenergo, told Ukrainska Pravda on July 1.

The strain on the country's energy infrastructure will be alleviated after repairs at some nuclear power units are completed, which will provide more available capacity, while changes in the weather are also expected to help, according to Kudrytskyi.

Since spring, Russia has intensified its attacks against Ukraine's critical infrastructure in a renewed assault against the country's energy grid, leading to blackouts.

Ukraine began implementing rolling blackouts on May 15, after which the situation continued to worsen, especially after a Russian mass missile attack caused further damage across the country on May 31.

The current power outages are exacerbated by regular strikes, heat and limited electricity imports, the Ukrenergo head said.

"If August is more favorable, then of course there will be more imports and the Ukrainian power system will have more moderate consumption," he said.

"In any case, we expect that in August there will be more generating capacity due to the completion of repairs, and it should be a little easier."

Repairs are ongoing to ensure that the power plants have "maximum capacity in winter," Kudrytskyi added.

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.