Ukraine's energy system is of the Soviet model, and this saves it.
A blackout in Ukrainian energy is unlikely, and many why, because the power system was built in the USSR taking into account probable massive attacks. This is reported by Finance.ua with reference to experts: Oleksandr Kharchenko, head of the Energy Research Center, and Kostyantyn Krynytskyi, head of the energy department of the NGO “Ekodiya”.
Current manual control
According to experts, the decision to limit electricity consumption is made by the dispatch center as part of Ukrenergo. In real time, it monitors in which region the need for electricity is increasing and where it cannot be delivered. Then he “drops” the decision on oblenergo about temporary restrictions.
Probability of blackout
However, a significant imbalance in energy production and consumption triggers the emergency protection system. In this case, shutdowns “fall” independently one after the other, like dominoes. As a result, huge areas and cities become without power.
“A blackout means that the power system has completely lost control. At the same time, a large number of accidents of various kinds occur in the system itself, which are provoked by the same arbitrary shutdowns,” Kharchenko explains.
However, according to Kostyantyn Krynytskyi, the probability of a blackout across the country remains low.< /p>
“However, a local power/heat shutdown (in some cities/regions) for several days or even weeks is already considered by the state as a realistic scenario. Everything depends on the shelling and their scale. The more of them there are, the greater the chances that the situation will worsen,” Krynytskyi says.
“Currently, although it is difficult, there are enough opportunities to repair and replace equipment. Even at objects with a direct hit, the supply is restored within 10-12 hours, and it is quite prompt,” says Kharchenko.
It is good that the Soviet-style system
“The good news is the fact that our networks are looped, there are possibilities of redundancy, the lines are branched. Consumers can be reconnected during attacks on certain areas. Therefore, even the destruction of part of the generating capacity should not lead to a complete collapse of the system. Ironically, the fact that Ukraine's energy system is of the Soviet model and was built with the idea of potential massive attacks on it from the very beginning also plays a positive role here,” Krynytskyi says.
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It was reported that after the onset of frosts, the current power deficit in the energy system of Ukraine will increase from the current 1-1.5 million kW to 2-3 million kW and higher. In such circumstances, it is impossible to avoid power outages for 10-12 hours every day, writes in his material for DT.UA “Energy terror and how to survive it” journalist Ihor Maskalevich .
