'No illusions': Ukraine prepares for Russian strikes on energy infrastructure even after winter
Photo: Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko (Getty Images)
Russia will continue striking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure after the winter. Because of this, the Cabinet of Ministers, together with the regions, has already begun preparing the energy system for the next heating season, states Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko on Telegram.
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"We have no illusions — the enemy will continue striking the energy sector even with the arrival of warmer weather. That is why we are already preparing clear resilience plans at the level of each region to ensure the uninterrupted operation of life-support systems and the readiness of communities for the next winter," she emphasized.
Svyrydenko also outlined the main elements of the regional Energy Resilience Plan:
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Protection of critical infrastructure facilities;
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Development of distributed generation;
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Alternative power sources for critical infrastructure;
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Distributed heat generation.
The prime minister instructed regional military administrations, together with the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Finance, Ukrenergo (a state-owned electricity transmission system operator), and other agencies, to develop regional energy resilience plans.
According to her, all regions must:
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Identify critical infrastructure facilities that require priority protection and autonomous power supply;
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Develop a step-by-step plan to be implemented before the start of the heating season;
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Determine equipment and funding needs, as well as the resources required to implement the plan.
Background
On February 19, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the restructuring and modernization of the energy sector in the regions for the next heating season. According to him, the experience of every community and city that avoided internal crises this winter — including those in Kyiv — will be taken into account.
According to experts’ forecasts, stabilization of the energy system may be possible as early as April, when rising temperatures and the end of the heating season reduce the load on the grids.
