Ukraine’s power grid remains under significant strain as Russian forces continue their relentless assaults on energy infrastructure. According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy, Russian strikes on September 21 damaged critical energy facilities in the Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, and Sumy regions. Despite these challenges, Ukrainian energy workers are keeping the situation stable.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, an airstrike caused a temporary shutdown of a power transmission line, which has since been restored. In Sumy, shelling triggered a fire at a substation, leading to power outages for residential consumers. The fire has been extinguished, and partial power has been restored.
The Poltava region was hit by drone strikes targeting a substation, which also resulted in a fire and subsequent power disruptions. Emergency crews were quick to respond, and electricity has been partially restored in the affected areas.
The Ministry of Energy highlighted that since October 2022, Russia has launched more than 1,000 strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. This year alone, the attacks have led to the loss of 9 GW of generating capacity. Continuous shelling poses ongoing challenges to the grid’s operation.
Despite the severity of the situation, Ukrainian energy workers are relentlessly working to repair the damaged infrastructure. A large-scale repair campaign is currently underway to restore key energy facilities and prepare the grid for the upcoming winter, which is expected to be particularly challenging.
In southeastern Ukraine, a power line was knocked offline due to technological issues but was quickly brought back into service. Consumers in the area did not experience any outages. Over the past 24 hours, power has been restored for 12,110 consumers affected by combat and technical disruptions.
As of the morning of September 22, a total of 485 settlements remain partially or fully without power due to ongoing hostilities and technical faults. Ukraine is not currently exporting electricity but plans to import power from Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, and Moldova, with a forecasted maximum capacity of 1,300 MW at peak hours.
