Ukraine Races to Repair DTEK Plants Smashed by Russian Missiles Before Winter: Three Hit in November, 70-Plus Restarts
Reuters has visited a Ukrainian thermal power plant wrecked by Russian missiles, where workers are racing to repair generating units before the depths of winter. At the request of the power company DTEK, the plant's location was not disclosed.
This November, Russia has already attacked three DTEK plants with dozens of missiles and drones, forcing them to halt generation. Last winter, DTEK's five plants were hit 11 times. Since the start of the war, DTEK workers have restarted plants from scratch more than 70 times.
Ukraine's Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal has forecast generating capacity of 19.6 gigawatts by November, about half the pre-war level and in line with last winter's peak. Reuters could not confirm the figure.
At the same time, the United States has cut deliveries of Patriot interceptors amid a global shortage, and Russia is also using new jet-powered attack drones. Central and eastern regions, including the capital Kyiv, are without power for up to 18 hours a day, while plants in the west continue to export electricity to Eastern Europe.
According to the monitoring group DiXi Group, Ukrainian electricity exports rose by just over 40 percent in the week of November 2-8, and up to two-thirds of consumers may simultaneously have faced blackouts. "The problem is about transmission," said DTEK chief executive Maxim Timchenko.
Before the war, thermal plants generated more than 30 percent of Ukraine's electricity; three nuclear plants now provide the lion's share. DTEK previously operated eight thermal plants, three of which Russia has occupied or destroyed.
At the plant, technician Oleksiy is among those helping to keep the grid running, while senior operator Mykhailo, 46, and his colleagues carry out repairs between strikes. Moscow denies deliberately targeting civilians.
Source: DTEK
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：乌克兰哈尔科夫州兹米伊夫火力发电厂夜景（2007年摄）。作者：Maksim Sidorov，CC BY 3.0，维基共享资源。 / Photo: The Zmiiv thermal power plant in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, at night (2007). Credit: Maksim Sidorov, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
