Resilient energy during the war: Ukraine's lessons

It has been a year since Ukraine faced almost a complete blackout. Satellite images taken on November 23, 2022 show the country plunged into darkness. On that day russian troops fired almost 70 X-101/X-555 and "Caliber" missiles, only 51 of which Ukrainian anti-aircraft forces managed to shoot down. The russians also used kamikaze-drones to attack critical infrastructure.

For almost 2 years the aggressor has been striking substations, power plants, and heating facilities, which are convenient targets for russian weapons. The Ukrainian energy system was built back in Soviet times according to a centralized model, the main parts of which are large nodal substations 330-750 kV, nuclear and thermal power plants, and large thermal power plants. Damage to even one such large object causes a systemic breakdown in the energy system and often leads to mass blackouts of electricity for consumers. Since independence, the Ukrainian energy system has worked synchronously with the russian and belarusian ones, so the configuration of our network and its vulnerabilities are very well known to the russians. Russia is trying to hit critical equipment, such as power transformers and autotransformers, generating equipment. The consequences of such shelling are very difficult to quickly eliminate. This reduces the stability of the energy system as a whole.

However, strikes on power plants and substations are only a part of russia's aggression against the Ukrainian energy sector. Oil storage facilities and gas infrastructure became the targets as well. The enemy mercilessly destroys everything it can get its hands on. All this forces Ukraine to look for ways not only to strengthen the military protection of critical infrastructure, but also to make efforts in the direction of strengthening energy security.

Energy security is above all else

The issue of the stability of the energy system and the security of the supply of heat and electricity is number one on the agenda before the onset of winter in Ukraine. To reduce the risk of new blackouts, ensure the stability of the power system and minimize the consequences of possible new missile attacks, a number of measures have been taken:

• physical protection of energy facilities - construction of concrete shelters and anti-drone nets for equipment, underground burial of network elements;
• creating reserves of equipment for quick recovery in case the russians manage to attack network;
• the most extensive repair campaign was carried out on network and generating facilities;
• accumulation of main and reserve fuel for thermal power plants and thermal power plants;
• reservation of power sources of critical infrastructure objects;
• important decisions to improve the financial condition of energy enterprises and reduce debts.

Most of these activities are implemented thanks to the support of Ukrainian partners who provide the necessary energy equipment or financial support, including the Energy Support Fund, created by the efforts of the Energy Community which aggregated more than 270 million euros.

New mass attack can be expected in the near future and it will become another manifestation of genocide against Ukraine.  It is reported that the russians managed to accumulate up to 800 missiles to continue their terror.

Lessons for Ukraine

Even the war did not stop the reforms and even accelerated them. Despite the damage to the infrastructure, the high risks of further shelling, Ukraine is moving towards full integration of the energy system with the European network, bringing energy legislation into line with the relevant EU Directives and Regulations. It is crucial to change the very approach to the construction of electrical networks in order to make them less vulnerable to hostile attacks and to develop the energy market while reducing dependence on fossil fuels. 

• Decentralization of the energy system. The construction of small-capacity power plants close to the consumer is not only the basis for the "green" transition, but also the only way to ensure the physical security of the energy system.
• Increasing energy efficiency. Reducing the consumption of resources allows to increase production efficiency or minimize electricity bills for households. It also means reducing dependence on fossil fuels, stabilizing prices on energy markets, and strengthening energy security.
• Energy development taking into account climate goals, in particular increasing the share of RES in the structure of generating capacities. Replacing coal-fired generation with alternative energy sources in Ukraine is an important task for ensuring sustainable development and reducing the impact on the environment. Ukraine has significant potential in the use of solar, wind, water and biomass energy and should develop all the necessary infrastructure.
• Full integration of markets. First of all, it will allow to weaken the market influence of excessive concentration in the electricity market, as well as to strengthen competition and transparency.
• Increasing opportunities for export/import of electrical energy. Increasing the capacity of interstate crossings will significantly strengthen the energy security of both Ukraine and the EU countries bordering us. This applies not only to the electric power sector, but also to the gas sector.

Ukrainian experience from this real war should be taken into account by other EU countries that border the russian federation or are dependent on russian energy. Strengthening energy security consists in diversifying the sources of supply of energy resources, speeding up the implementation of "green" transition programs, decarbonization of industry, strengthening the sustainability and energy independence of communities, achieving new ambitious targets for energy saving established by the RePowerEU plan. Russia is unknowingly pushing its "neighbours" to speed up energy sector reform. In the long run, it will consequently reduce world demand for fossil fuels, the trade of which is the basis of the Russian budget.

In view of the global energy crisis caused by russia's unjust war, energy security has come to the fore not only in Ukraine, but also far beyond its borders. The search for common ways and solutions to strengthen the stability and reliability of the energy system should be carried out at all levels: interaction between the authorities, the public sector, business within the country, and at the level of international cooperation.

As a global conclusion, it can be stated that, сooperation with russian companies is not only a channel of financial income for the russian military budget, but also allows russians to look for weak points in the security, economy and politics of neighboring countries, which will be used in the future in the Kremlin's geopolitical games.