Can Ukraine 'count on one hand' power plants?

Officials in Ukraine say they can "count on one hand" the thermal and hydro power plants across the country that are not yet badly damaged or totally destroyed. As Ukraine scrambles to repair what it can, and keep the electricity flowing to homes and industry, Russia's assault has not stopped.

What happened to Ukraine's nuclear power plant in 2024?

As of the end of May 2024 2, about 70% of Ukraine's thermal generation capacity was either occupied or damaged, and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (whose 6 GW of capacity generated around one-quarter of Ukraine’s electricity supply prior to 2022) remained under Russian control.

Is Russia destroying Ukraine's energy infrastructure?

Russia has stepped up its bombardment of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Here is a detailed and interactive map of the country’s power stations. Ukraine’s power supplies are being targeted by the Russian army, leaving much of the country with no heating throughout a cold winter. (Photo by Ed Ram/Getty Images)

How important is interconnection to Ukraine's electricity security?

Interconnection with the main European system 4 has made a crucial contribution to Ukraine’s electricity security, with the limit on cross-border trade 5 increasing to 1.7 GW in November 2023. Before the 2022 invasion, Ukraine's power system was interconnected with the Russian and Belarussian grids.

Did Ukraine have a power system before the 2022 invasion?

Before the 2022 invasion, Ukraine's power system was interconnected with the Russian and Belarussian grids. Plans had been in place since 2017 to synchronize with the continental Europe system in 2023.

How many power plants are in Ukraine?

Ukraine has 64 utility-scale power plants in operation, with a total capacity of 48569.8 MW. This data is a derivitive set of data gathered by source mentioned below. Global Energy Observatory/Google/KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm/Enipedia/World Resources Institute/database.earth