Political infighting is hampering Ukraine's efforts to prevent an energy crisis.
This was reported by the American newspaper The New York Times on Tuesday, October 15, citing lawmakers and experts.
The publication writes that according to lawmakers and experts, the number of high-ranking officials in the energy sector has fallen, and key decisions on energy policy have been postponed due to political calculations, which cost Ukraine precious time to prepare for winter.
"Several senior officials involved in repairing the grid or protecting it from russian attacks have been fired or forced to resign for no apparent reason, and major policy decisions have been delayed due to political calculations. With significant funding allocated to strengthening the energy grid, there are concerns that some projects may be vulnerable to corruption, which is a widespread problem in Ukraine," the article says.
A report by the International Energy Agency says that Ukraine's electricity shortage this winter could reach six gigawatts, which is about a third of what is needed during peak hours. Energy experts say that while the decentralization of the power system was important, it will not be able to fully compensate for the damage to power plants from russian shelling, as Ukraine "catastrophically" lacks air defense systems.
According to the United Nations, Ukraine lost nine gigawatts of generating capacity between March and July - far more than can be restored by winter, NY notes.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on October 10, the Ukrenergo national energy company reported that it had accumulated three times more necessary repair equipment as part of preparations for winter.
On September 24, Ukrenergo explained why they are calling to save electricity despite the fact that the lights are not turned off.
On September 10, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that Ukraine is currently the country with the most generators in the world.
Who we are: About us, Contacts. How we write news and our principles: Editorial code. We did our best. If you found this valuable – please support us.
To request a correction, please send an email.