meiyoumajia 写了： 2024年 6月 5日 15:05
https://www.ft.com/content/4d583259-756 ... 77f4a76175
Russia has taken out over half of Ukraine power generation
Moscow’s missile and drone attacks in recent months have homed in on Ukrainian power plants, forcing energy companies to impose nationwide shutdowns while scrambling to repair the damage and find alternative supplies.
Prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine’s domestic energy production was around 55 gigawatts of electricity, among the largest in Europe. That power generation capacity has currently dropped below 20GW, due to bombardments or to Russian occupation taking those plants offline, according to Ukrainian officials.
A Russian attack on Saturday struck energy facilities in five regions, causing significant damage, said Kyiv energy minister German Galushchenko.
The latest strikes have also targeted pumping facilities for underground natural gas storage being used by EU customers. Though these pumps can be easily replaced, the attacks do highlight concerns about security of supply come winter — both for domestic use and exports to the bloc.
The EU’s ambassador in Kyiv, Katarina Mathernova, said that since March, “Russia has destroyed [a] whooping 9.2GW of energy generation” in Ukraine. She added that she was meeting officials to establish what their “urgent energy equipment needs” were in order to “help alleviate the impact of continuous Russian missile attacks on energy infrastructure”.
Russia’s first aerial bombardment campaign in the winter of 2022-23 targeted the country’s electrical distribution grid — which could be repaired relatively easily, according to officials and experts. But the latest barrages are zeroing in on thermal and hydroelectric power plants which will be much harder and more expensive to fix, rebuild or replace, they said.
One Ukrainian government official described Saturday’s assault as “devastating” while another said it was likely to mean that by winter residents would be spending a vast majority of their day without electricity.
Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the press. One of the officials said 1.2GW of power generation was lost in Saturday’s bombardment alone, while infrastructure critical for transporting gas from underground storage facilities in western Ukraine was badly damaged.
Asked what the damage would mean for the months ahead, one of the officials put it bluntly: “We should prepare for life in the cold and the dark.”
“This is our new normal,” the second official said, gesturing outside a window to the darkness that had descended on Kyiv during a recent emergency power shutdown.
Energy Ministry disputes FT article on energy grid damage
The Financial Times (FT) article about the dire situation of Ukraine's energy system due to Russian attacks "has signs of disinformation and psychological operation in Russia's interest," the Energy Ministry claimed on June 5.
The FT published the article, "Russia has taken out over half of Ukraine power generation," on June 5, citing Ukrainian officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
One official reportedly told the outlet that the damage caused by Russian strikes is so extensive that Ukrainians should be preparing for "life in the cold and the dark" in the winter. The Energy Ministry disputed the statement, saying that it aims to "spread fear and panic" among the population.
The ministry also questioned the credibility of the information, as the outlet cited undisclosed sources.
"The audience should understand that references to undisclosed sources without specific confirmation are not reliable, and conclusions can be manipulated," the ministry's statement read.
The ministry claimed the outlet "mixed true and false data, which appeals to readers' emotions" to make the article "look credible."
The article mentioned false information about Ukrainian authorities doubling energy prices in a bid to fund the reconstruction effort, according to the ministry.
"This is an outright lie and manipulation. After all, the tariff increased by 63%, and there is a big difference between 60 and 100%," the statement said.
Russia intensified its attacks against Ukraine's critical infrastructure in the spring as part of a renewed assault against the country's energy grid.
The timing of Russia's campaign appeared to correspond to when Ukraine began to face insufficient supplies of military aid from the West, leaving some critical infrastructure without air defense.
Ukraine started rolling out national blackouts in mid-May, having avoided nationwide power cuts during the winter.
Explosions, oil refinery fire reported in Russia's Rostov Oblast. 