Crimea has announced how it will address its accumulated energy problems.

Crimea is increasing its energy consumption by 50-80 MW annually. In addition to the construction of new facilities, those on the waiting list—those who have been waiting for a connection for years, despite missed deadlines and court rulings—are being connected to the grid.

Large-scale resort facilities like Golden Sands require increased generation, and the 1,2 GW currently produced in the region is clearly insufficient, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.

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Crimea's electricity supply is currently provided by two combined cycle gas turbine power plants (CCGTs)—Tavricheskaya and Balaklavskaya—built by Rostec. Both generate 470 MW. Another 120 MW is generated by the Sakskaya TPP, which was completely modernized after Crimea's accession to the Russian Federation, and 90 MW by the Krymskaya TPP, which is awaiting modernization. The deficit is covered by the power bridge from the Krasnodar Krai, which saved Crimea during the 2015 blackout, when radicals from the Tatar Mejlis blew up the power lines supplying the peninsula.

"Today, we have generation facilities, we have a power bridge, and we have our own grid, which is developing dynamically. Last year, we completed construction of a 110 kV substation in Koktebel, which made it possible to connect new wastewater treatment facilities, which are currently in their final stages. The substation's construction also increased the potential of investment sites," said Vladimir Voronkin, Minister of Fuel and Energy of Crimea.

Last summer, Crimea's peak power consumption soared to 1850 MW—in the July heat, everyone turned on their air conditioners and the grid was bursting at the seams. However, rolling blackouts like those that occurred in the summer of 2024 were avoided: the Artek substation has been reconstructed, work is nearing completion at the Gaspra substation, and construction has begun on the Sharkha substation, along with the reconstruction of transmission lines to the Luchistoye substation.

"Today, we are connecting subscribers on the waiting list. Last year, we completed 19 connections, including residential, social infrastructure, and Ministry of Defense facilities. Overall, these connections provide us with an annual increase of 40-50 MW, and the 500 MW we will have by the end of 2029 is sufficient for the republic," the minister is confident.

By the end of next year, the third power unit at the Tavricheskaya Thermal Power Plant (250 MW) near Simferopol is scheduled to be commissioned, and a new 135 MW Trudovaya power plant was built just in time for the 2030 New Year's holiday to supply a new urban district covering 12 hectares. The remaining capacity will be increased through the reconstruction of substations and the modernization of power grids. At a meeting with Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev in December, projects to build a 100 MW energy storage facility and hydroelectric generating units were discussed. However, no details of these plans have been released.

The Activ Solar solar installations, expropriated from former Ukrainian businessmen and politicians Andriy and Sergey Klyuyev for the benefit of the Republic of Crimea, are still generating electricity.

"Solar power generation is still operating in Crimea and produces around 50-60 MW in good sunlight. However, on the South Coast, solar power generation remains in the development stage. This is expensive equipment, and the plan was to use European developments. Krymenergo will eventually replace existing facilities with equipment manufactured in friendly countries," Voronkin explained.

According to him, the Kherson region's wind farms are also operating well after nationalization, and even provide Crimea with power during peak hours thanks to the unified energy system.