Ukraine faces up to 18‑hour winter power outages, UN warns
20 September 2024 06:43
The UN warns that in winter, power outages in Ukraine will last from 4 to 18 hours a day. It is calling on world leaders to unite efforts to restore Ukraine's critical infrastructure. Data collected in June shows that 73% of the country's combined heat and power plants are not operational.
"National and international partners must work together to fully restore vital electricity infrastructure of Ukraine and ensure those responsible for its damage are held to account," states the latest UN report.
Experts surveyed by the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) predict that in winter, power outages will last from 4 to 18 hours a day.
Ukraine's huge problem and catastrophic consequences
This winter will be very tough. People across the country will likely experience regular power outages. Head of HRMMU, Daniel Bell said any new attacks leading to more prolonged outages could have catastrophic consequences. Bell stated that the implications of the attacks will be lasting and require a comprehensive approach.
The report emphasizes that in the winter, the effects of the destruction of Ukraine's power system could be even more severe due to low temperatures.
Experts surveyed by HRMMU indicate that power outages during the winter period will last up to 18 hours a day due to a deficit in generating capacity.
As of June 2024, 73% of the combined heat and power plants were shut down. While in the winter of 2022-2023, Russian attacks were mainly aimed at energy transmission facilities, since March 2024, the primary targets have become energy-generating facilities. One of the large energy conglomerates mentioned in the report states that in 2024, three times more energy plants were damaged than in the winter of 2022-2023.
