The war left not only Donbass without electricity - the energy systems of the surrounding regions were damaged
Moscow - Kyiv, September 29 (PolitNavigator, Mikhail Stamm) - From the point of view of providing electricity, the DPR and LPR are potentially self-sufficient. But some of the stations and power lines are damaged, and it is impossible to transport coal due to the destruction of the tracks. Because of this, both Donbass and Ukraine are suffering.
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On the territory controlled by the militias there is the Zuevskaya thermal power plant, Starobeshevskaya, and the destroyed Slavyanskaya thermal power plant; Ukraine's largest thermal power plant, Uglegorskaya thermal power plant, and Lugansk thermal power plant fell into the buffer zone.
The largest thermal power plant in Ukraine, Uglegorskaya TPP, operates in only one unit (300 MW out of 3,6 GW) due to interruptions in the supply of coal. Another large thermal power plant, Zmievskaya (2,2 GW, supplies electricity to the Kharkov, Sumy and Poltava regions), was completely stopped on September 11 due to a shortage of coal: 580 wagons with raw materials were stuck in the Donetsk region. On September 24, having received a supply from South Africa, one block out of ten was launched at the station, but in winter three must work, otherwise the station will freeze.
The largest of the stations located in the zone of control of the militia, Zuevskaya TPP (1,27 GW), can only operate with one power unit. Representatives of the DPR promise to restore the railway connection with the thermal power plant and ensure uninterrupted delivery of coal, but the work is complicated by intense hostilities in the territory through which the route passes.
Power plants are suffering from gas consumption restrictions caused by the cessation of supplies from Russia. Thus, Kharkov CHPP-5 (540 MW) was stopped at the end of August, when the region exceeded the consumption limit established for the regions by the Ukrainian government (30% below the pre-conflict level). In mid-September, one block of the station was turned on.
Another problem is network damage. According to materials from the Donetsk region administration, which Kommersant reviewed, Donbasenergo has destroyed or damaged 146 35 kV and 110 kV power lines, 28 substations, 35 110 kV power lines, 119 6,1 kV power lines. Lugansk Thermal Power Plant, which previously had six units, but now only two, has become an energy island. Kurakhovskaya TPP was not damaged, but power output was limited, and there was damage to the 110 kV line system.
Damage to networks affects not only generation near combat areas. According to Igor Maslov, Director for Electricity Distribution and Sales at DTEK, 600 MW of power is now locked up at the Zaporozhye NPP, because there is nowhere to distribute it due to damage to 330 kV lines, etc. Electrical connections between Russia and Ukraine through the eastern regions have been disrupted as a result of the fighting actions in early July and have not yet been restored: the Rostov-Ukraine section is broken, the two lines are operating at a dead end.
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