Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, chairman of the board of Ukrenergo, said on BBC World Service that urgent restoration of Ukraine's energy infrastructure ahead of the winter season could cost about $1.5 billion, UNN reports .
The urgent needs to prepare Ukraine's energy sector for winter may amount to about $1.5 billion. And that's just for quick restoration work
According to him, the full restoration of the power system requires significant funds - tens of billions of dollars are needed to reconstruct Ukrenergo's power plants and high-voltage infrastructure.
Ukrenergo reports that in recent months Ukraine has lost almost half of its generating capacity. This is a huge challenge for any power system. As a result, Ukrenergo, as the power system operator, is forced to introduce scheduled power outages for households and businesses to maintain system stability. The company is currently analyzing opportunities to avoid serious outages during the winter period.
The company also noted what to expect from the winter period:
"Winter will be very difficult. After all, summer consumption in Ukraine is usually 35% less than in winter. If we have a deficit even now, it is obvious that winter will bring even more problems related to how to cover the deficit and meet the demand for electricity. We have to accumulate all the resources we can. Ukraine is also asking international partners to help restore damaged power plants. This will increase Ukraine's chances of getting through the winter with minimal problems".
Ukrenergo hopes to restore at least some of the damaged power units before the winter season. However, the success of these measures will depend on the availability of air defense systems as Russian attacks continue.