18 hours without light: Ukrainians told when peak power outages are possible.

Observers of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine have released a troubling report on the potential consequences of Russian strikes on the country's energy infrastructure.

According to the report published on September 19, the power supply situation in Ukraine this winter could be critical.

Danielle Bell, the head of the mission, warned that "this winter will be extremely difficult. People are likely to face regular power outages across the country. Any new attacks that lead to outages could have catastrophic consequences".

Experts predict that power outages could last from 4 to 18 hours daily. In some cities, outages of over 12 hours a day were already observed this summer. The situation could worsen in winter due to low temperatures.

The UN recorded that from March 22 to August 31, 2024, Russian forces conducted nine waves of coordinated attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, damaging or destroying many generation, transmission, and distribution facilities.

In response to this situation, the European Union has developed a comprehensive plan to support Ukrainian energy. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, announced an additional allocation of 160 million euros during her visit to Kyiv on September 20.

Of these, 60 million will be directed towards building or repairing shelters and purchasing heaters, and 100 million, obtained from frozen Russian assets, will go towards repair work and renewable energy sources.

EU Plan to Support Ukrainian Energy

• Restoration of 2.5 GW of energy capacity, which represents about 15% of Ukraine's winter needs.
• Continued connection of Ukraine to the European energy network with the possibility of exporting 2 GW of electricity to Ukraine, covering another 12% of needs.
• Ensuring stable power supply across the country despite attacks on major infrastructure facilities.

"Thanks to these measures, over 25% of energy needs in winter will be covered," von der Leyen emphasized.

In addition, the EU plans to send mobile gas turbines and solar panels to Ukraine. A plan for the physical protection of power plants is also being discussed.

Of special note is an unprecedented move by Lithuania: the country is dismantling an entire thermal power plant to transport it to Ukraine.

Von der Leyen also noted that at least 2 billion euros have already been allocated to support Ukraine's energy security. These funds came in the form of financial aid and equipment from EU member states, including 10,000 transformers and generators.