'Situation is difficult, but under control.' Energy Ministry on state of grid after Russian attack
The energy system is in a difficult state after the missile and drone attack on August 26. Energy workers have not yet started restoration work on all facilities, because they must first be demined, Deputy Minister of Energy Svitlana Hrynchuk said on the national telethon on Tuesday morning.
On August 26, the Russians used 127 missiles and 109 drones against Ukraine.
"Many of them have caused significant damage to the power system. Power engineers work where the security situation allows. Yesterday, in order to preserve the integrity of the system, the operators of the transmission system had to implement schedules of emergency outages, emergency shutdowns. Today, planned shutdown schedules will be in effect," said Hrynchuk.
The Ministry of Energy has not yet predicted how long the outage schedules will last.
According to the assessment of the former energy minister Ivan Plachkov, it is about two to three weeks, provided there are no new strikes.
"At the moment, the assessment of damage at all facilities is just taking place. Where possible, energy workers have started emergency restoration work," Hrynchuk said.
According to her, the situation in the energy sector is "complicated, but controlled".
"We are trying to do everything to restore the equipment and stabilize the operation of the energy system," said the deputy minister of energy.
Cleanup, repairs, and demining efforts are ongoing at the affected sites. In some places, the terrorist state attacked civilian infrastructure with cluster munitions. Sappers must complete their work before energy workers can begin repairs, the National Security and Defense Council reported on Monday.
Ukraine will have to adjust its winter preparation plan after the new attack.