Ukraine may face power outages this winter, but full blackout is unlikely — energy expert

Sviatoslav Pavliuk, Executive Director of the Association Energy-Efficient Cities of Ukraine and an energy efficiency expert, shared the information on Espreso TV.

“Blackout should be defined correctly. It is the shutdown of all power sources, or desynchronization of power sources, leading to the collapse of the national energy system. When the system breaks into separate parts, each power plant can only supply electricity locally and is not synchronized with others — that is a blackout. We had this once, around 2022 or early 2023, when the system had to be restarted, which is a complex process. But first, energy specialists have learned to manage it. Second, we have reserves of materials and experience. The risk always exists,” he said.

Pavliuk believes that this winter, power interruptions in Ukraine may occur due to Russian attacks, but a full blackout is unlikely.

“The quality of electricity supply is measured by two indicators: the number of interruptions and their duration. The struggle is over reducing both. Interruptions may happen, but system operators can quickly fix them. The main threat is our damned neighbor trying to destroy it — Russia has sharply increased drone production and the number of drones in one attack, which is a problem. However, Kyiv has multiple energy supply connections and its own local generation. So a full blackout — a complete black picture — is unlikely. Interruptions may occur, as we have experienced in previous seasons,” the energy efficiency expert noted.

• On the night of Sunday, October 5, the Russian army carried out a massive combined attack on gas infrastructure, hitting civilian facilities that supply Ukrainians with gas for the heating season.
• On October 5, the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy denied information circulating on social media and Telegram channels about alleged nationwide emergency power shutdowns.