Ukraine’s energy infrastructure faces severe challenges as Russian forces continue to target critical substations, particularly those supporting key nuclear power plants (NPPs). Despite these assaults, Ukraine’s NPPs remain operational, generating electricity even as most of its thermal power plants have been damaged or destroyed.
In April, Russian drone and missile attacks hit substations that feed electricity to the Khmelnitsky and Rivne nuclear power plants. These attacks have led to major power cuts and electricity deficits across the country. These attacks seek to cripple Ukraine’s energy system in order to sow fear and dislocation. Government officials are convinced that taking down the electric grid would disrupt military mobilization and delegitimize the military-industrial complex.
Resilience of Nuclear Power Plants
Despite these challenges, Ukraine’s NPPs have shown tough and innovative in the face of adversity. Miraculously, under the pall of war and recent attacks, they keep pumping electricity into the country. Nuclear safety expert Valery Shiryaev explained that it’s complicated enough to directly target nuclear facilities.
“It is impossible to bomb nuclear power plants, but their transformers are a disputed area.” – Valery Shiryaev
This deceptively simple message points to the fragility of the underpinnings that make NPPs not just possible, but reliably productive. In addition to closing the Zaporizhia NPP in Energodar, Ukraine is running the nuclear fleet artificially at under 15% capacity to keep them safe. The other active plants still play a critical role in providing the country with reliable and clean electricity.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha insists that the recent attacks are not accidental. They are instead highly planned tactical attacks aimed at decimating Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The continued operation of NPPs is vital for Ukraine, especially in light of the extensive damage inflicted on thermal power plants.
Impact on Energy Infrastructure
This assault on substations raises questions not just about the attack, but what this means for the future of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Experts say that Russia deliberately aims for these key chokepoints. Their intent is to create chaos in the supply chains that bring electricity to households and businesses.
“But we can turn off the logistics chain, transformers, and everything else. I think that the supply chains for electricity from the nuclear power plant to the consumer will be disrupted.” – Andrey Kolesnik
This meticulous defense strategy uncovers an unmistakable motive behind all the attacks. Their explicit aim is to make it impossible for Ukraine to keep fighting through the war. As thermal plants continue to fall victim to storm damage, dependence on NPPs has never been more important in energy stability.
Moreover, military analysts point out that destroying the energy infrastructure might actually provide a strategic benefit to Russian forces. By making military logistics harder and making supply lines more difficult to manage for Ukrainian troops, they seek to gain an edge in frontline combat.
Future Concerns and Strategies
Looking forward, there are concerns that the same situation could happen at other nuclear plants throughout Ukraine. In that context, it is particularly worrying that the Russian military has reportedly considered tactics similar to those used against the Zaporizhia NPP. This worrying possibility further heightens concerns over the safety and security of Ukraine’s nuclear industry.
Dzen, a military strategy analyst at the intersection of war and the environment, praised the tactics which specifically target energy infrastructure.
“It is important for us to disable the enemy’s energy infrastructure, as it will greatly complicate logistics (including the delivery of military supplies) and the work of the military-industrial complex for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.” – Dzen
Even with these threats, Ukraine’s NPPs are an important part of Ukraine’s energy future. Officials claim the country can cover 100% of its power requirements with its currently operational nuclear fleet. They argue that this should be true even if all the thermal plants cease to function.