By Max Hunder and Pavel Polityuk
KYIV, Jan 16 (Reuters) – Ukraine’s energy system, damaged by Russian drone and missile attacks, is meeting only 60% of the country’s electricity needs, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday, as the country copes with its coldest and darkest winter of war yet.
Kyiv has declared an energy emergency this week as its grid crumbles under relentless new Russian attacks, bitter cold temperatures and nearly four years of accumulated damage from a Russian campaign to knock out its heat and power.
Zelenskiy has put one of his closest allies, long-serving former prime minister and defence minister Denys Shmyhal, in charge of the energy ministry.
Zelenskiy said electricity generation capacity was 11 gigawatts on Thursday, with the country needing 18 gigawatts.
Shmyhal, speaking publicly for the first time in the new job, said the most challenging situations were in the capital Kyiv, the second city Kharkiv, the main port Odesa, and towns near the front line. Thousands of homes have been unheated and dark for days in subzero temperatures of a prolonged cold snap.
Moscow says Ukraine’s civil infrastructure is a legitimate target because striking it can reduce Kyiv’s ability to wage war. Kyiv says the aim is to harm civilians and break the country’s will.
Heat and power in the capital have yet to fully recover from a particularly severe attack a week ago, while temperatures have been far below those of a typical Ukrainian winter, with Kyiv at minus 16 degrees Celsius (3 F) on Friday morning.
‘NOT A SINGLE PLANT THE ENEMY HAS NOT ATTACKED’
“Currently, the intensity (of Russian attacks) is only increasing, and strikes occur daily. There is not a single power plant left in Ukraine that the enemy has not attacked,” Shmyhal told parliament.
“In some cities and regions, winter preparations have failed. Over the past two days in office, I’ve seen that many things are clearly stalling.”
Ukraine has sharply increased electricity imports from EU countries. But the maximum import capacity is only about 2.3 gigawatts, and high prices have meant Kyiv often can take only a fraction of that.
Shmyhal said the largest Ukrainian state-owned companies such as energy firm Naftogaz, weapons maker Ukroboronprom and railway Ukrzaliznytsia would be urged to boost imports.
He called for a reduction in unnecessary consumption: “I urge businesses to turn off outdoor advertising, turn off signs and screens, and if you have excess energy, give it to people.”
(Editing by Daniel Flynn and Peter Graff)
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