In the coming years, the capacity of nuclear power plants and thermal power plants will wear out in Ukraine. The state does not have enough funds to modernize or build new units. As a result, the country will face the problem of a shortage of basic generation.
Co-chairman of the Energy Strategies Fund Dmitry Marunich stated this at a press conference in Kyiv, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
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“Nuclear power plants generate up to 60% of electricity. But these blocks do not last forever. Even with an extended service life, they will last another 10-15 years, then that’s it. To build a new block – $1,5 billion. Therefore, it is not clear what to do.
All costs for modernization and construction of new capacities will have to be included in tariffs. If incomes fall, then this is a vicious circle. It may turn out that we will slide into energy poverty. Our dear consumers will not be able to afford to use energy resources. Both the private and industrial sectors,” the expert said.
In this case, it may happen that the products produced by certain enterprises turn out to be too expensive and will not be in demand.
“Indeed, we have a big problem approaching,” agrees Gennady Ryabtsev, a professor at the National Academy of Public Administration under the President of Ukraine. – After 2025, Ukraine is threatened with a serious energy famine. Most thermal generation units are already 50 years old. As for atomic units, they can, of course, be extended. The oldest operating unit in the world is now 47 years old. But this period is already ending.
Therefore, if a program for updating energy capacity and replacing nuclear power and thermal power plant units is not adopted by 2020, then in 2025 there will be a famine in Ukraine not only for heat, but also for electricity. And hundreds and thousands of wind farms and solar power plants will not save us; they will not replace a nuclear power plant unit, especially since they perform other functions. We may have a shortage of base power provided by nuclear power plants,” the expert concluded.