Avoiding power outages in Ukraine is not possible. Regardless of whether there are attacks on critical infrastructure, electricity shutdowns are inevitable. This was stated by Victoria Voytsytska, the Director of Advocacy in the Energy Sector at the International Center for Ukrainian Victory (ICUV), during a broadcast on the "KIEV24" channel.
She also emphasized the importance of preparing for the heating season, particularly the need for sufficient gas reserves. She expressed concern that the gas volumes in storage may be inadequate for a stable winter.
"Addressing the heating supply and ensuring warmth in homes can alleviate the pressure or additional load on our energy system as people start turning on numerous electrical devices. Therefore, the question is when the heating season will begin?" — stated Voytsytska.
As the expert noted, regardless of the presence or absence of attacks on infrastructure, power outages in Ukraine will occur.
"If there are no attacks, should we expect power outage schedules? Yes, we should expect power outage schedules even in the absence of attacks because different experts assess the shortage of capacity for generating enough heat as ranging from 3 to 5 gigawatts, which is comparable to half of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant," — explained Voytsytska.
Recall that on October 9, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko stated that Ukraine is capable of getting through this winter without electricity outages if Russia does not manage to destroy the surviving critical infrastructure facilities after previous attacks.
On October 3, Alexander Kharchenko, the Director of the Energy Research Center, predicted that Ukrainians would have no more than 4 hours of electricity per day if strikes from Russia continue. He also mentioned that much will depend on weather conditions.