Russia carries out attacks on the Ukrainian energy grid. European leaders vow to help Ukraine – but the obstacles are many.
They couldn’t even find a simple screwdriver. The Russians had stolen so much that these basic tools were not immediately available.
Since last month, Russia has been carrying out systematic attacks on Ukraine’s power grid
It is just one example that Anton Antonenko, co-founder of the Ukrainian energy think tank DiXi and resident of Kiev, gives when asked what Ukraine needs to repair its shattered energy infrastructure. A mayor of a northern Ukrainian city had told Antonenko about the screwdriver. You can imagine something like this, he says, with ‘the scale’ of the recovery operation.
Since last month, Russia has been carrying out systematic attacks on Ukraine’s power grid – a highly sensitive target with winter approaching. Last Tuesday was the largest attack, with 90 missiles fired at energy targets, according to the Ukrainian government.
According to President Volodimir Zelensky, half of the electricity grid has been shut down. In a joint message, the Ukrainian government and the European Commission wrote two weeks ago that some 950,000 people were without electricity, 600,000 homes without heating and 250,000 without water. Last Friday, Zelensky reported that 10 million inhabitants already had no electricity.
“The Ukrainians have been extremely inventive and quick with repairs,” says energy expert Georg Zachmann of the Brussels think tank Bruegel. “But the duration and intensity of the attacks have taken their toll.” Meanwhile, the first snow has fallen in Kiev.
Ukraine needs money, and a lot of it. At the request of the European Commission, a special Ukraine Energy Support Fund has therefore been set up, with an amount of 32 million euros pledged by the European countries so far. This fund is managed by the Energy Community, an independent organization commissioned by the Commission to coordinate.
Ukraine is desperately looking for transformers
One thing is certain: that is not nearly enough. “Ukraine needs an ocean of money,” says Energy Community director Artur Lorkowski. “So far we have collected a drop of support.” He does not want to give an estimate of how much money Ukraine needs for the recovery.
To get an idea: Ukraine is looking hard for transformers that convert the voltage to the correct voltage that comes from the socket. For a single transformer for the high-voltage grid, “you are soon talking about millions,” says spokesman Jorrit de Jong of the Dutch grid operator TenneT.
More urgent, says Lorkowski, is to send equipment with which Ukraine can repair broken infrastructure. The list of supplies is long: transformers, but also cables, switches, computers, lighting masts for night work and vehicles to carry out repairs. Screwdrivers are not specifically on the list, but tools are.
Even more urgent are the generators to provide people with emergency power. And petrol and diesel on which they run. These devices are vital to keep a hospital running, for example, or to create ‘heat points’ for people who cannot turn on the heating at home. Meanwhile, 8,500 generators are coming in every day, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Facebook.
Together with the Ukrainian government, the Commission also called on companies to donate at the beginning of this month. Not only energy companies should feel addressed, but also car manufacturers and other manufacturing industries. They have some of the equipment and parts that Ukraine needs – give it away, is the invitation.
There is “a lot of willingness among companies,” says director Lorkowski of the Energy Community, and he believes that this is also increasing. But it is very difficult to get the donated items on location, he says. “We are talking about huge equipment. There are very few companies that can make such large deliveries in Ukraine.”
Ukraine would have been helped with better air defense
Another problem is that the Ukrainian energy infrastructure still partly dates from the Soviet era. As a result, some crucial parts are hardly available in Europe. “Countries like Poland may still be able to supply some parts,” says energy expert Zachmann van Bruegel. Otherwise parts have to be made especially for Ukraine, which takes time.
Ukraine would have been helped with better air defense. Last week, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov presented a list of the missiles he needs for this.
Furthermore, it is “extremely important” for Ukraine that the export of electricity to Europe can be resumed as soon as possible, says director Lorkowski of the Energy Community. Early in the war, the electronic power grid was ‘synchronized’ with that of Europe, allowing Ukraine to export power to European countries. A win-win situation: extra income for Ukraine and more non-Russian power for Europe. Due to the Russian attack, the export was stopped on October 12. If it can get going again, says Lorkowski, it will ensure “more financial stability” in Ukraine.
That seems very far away at the moment. Anton Antonenko of the energy think tank DiXi from Kiev describes exactly that “every small step” matters now. And then Antonenko has to hang up – he can’t just plug his phone in all day long, and there’s not always someone available. In large parts of Ukraine, including Kiev, the power is turned off during parts of the day to prevent the grid from becoming overloaded. So Antonenko tries to be economical with his battery.