Ukraine will lack a lot of power generation capacity in winter: Zheleznyak named three solutions

Last winter, the power deficit in Ukraine's energy system reached about 7 GW, while during the years of full-scale war in the country, according to MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak, only about 700 MW of new generation was built. Three months before the start of winter, it is already impossible to fully compensate for this gap, however, some problems can be solved without large-scale construction, Zheleznyak reports on the YouTube channel "Iron MP".

Why Ukraine may lack electricity in winter

According to Zheleznyak, one of the main problems in preparing for the heating season is the slow introduction of new generation. He reminded about plans to build an additional 1 GW of capacity, however, according to a response he received earlier from "Ukrenergo", in 2024, 168 MW was introduced, of which the MP calls 32 MW actually new.

Citing the former head of 'Ukrenergo' Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, Zheleznyak also stated that the so-called regional resilience plans are not adequately prepared. According to him, backup generators for hospitals and boiler houses are necessary, but by themselves, they do not add capacity to the overall energy system.

Another problem the MP named is the insufficient influx of private investment in generation. In his opinion, investors are restrained by corruption risks, unstable rules, and personnel issues in the state energy sector.

Three steps that can still be taken before winter

The first solution Zheleznyak named is the revision of the energy equipment transferred to Ukraine. According to him, some modular boiler houses and generators received from partners are still not connected. For small communities, connecting a separate installation may be too expensive.

According to the MP's estimate, the launch of such equipment could potentially provide 100-200 MW, which would be enough to supply electricity to about 100,000 households.

The second direction concerns the import of electricity from Europe. The technical capability exceeds 2 GW, however, actual volumes depend, in particular, on the market cap prices in Ukraine. If European electricity is more expensive than the allowed price in Ukraine, its import becomes economically unprofitable, especially during periods of the greatest deficit.

The third step Zheleznyak mentioned involves personnel decisions. He believes that professional managers should be retained and leaders with proper reputation should be appointed to prepare the energy system.

The MP stated that he is sending an inquiry regarding the amount of disconnected energy equipment, its location, and the cost of putting it into operation. He also plans to raise the issue of electricity import rules at the TCC meeting.