UN Steps In to Help Restore Power in Kharkiv After Russia Pulls Biggest Energy Attack on Ukraine!
«То утро (пятница, 22 марта) началось не с кофе. Новости о массовых обстрелах энергосистемы. В Харькове блэкаут. Звонки от наших партнеров из местного самоуправления – и мы с командой через пять часов там – работаем над оценкой ущерба от самой масштабной ракетной атаки РФ на Украину за все время полномасштабного вторжения и над решением новых проблем города», – рассказывает руководитель направления «Энергетика и экология» ПРООН в Украине Роман Шахматенко.
© ПРООН
Специалист ПРООН Роман Шахматенко с заместителем мэра Харькова Дмитрием Исаевым.
«Весь город был обесточен. Почти полностью пропала мобильная связь, потому что у операторов не работали вышки. За сутки местным властям удалось восстановить подачу электроэнергии почти наполовину», – добавляет он.
Обеспечить электроснабжение во всем городе власти обещают в ближайшее время, а местных жителей просят экономно использовать электроэнергию и быть готовыми к соответствующим ограничениям в часы-пик (разработаны специальные графики отключений света).
«Невзирая ни на что, Харьков продолжает жить, – говорит Роман. – Если вы посмотрите на город днем или вечером, то не скажете, что есть какие-то большие проблемы. Солнце светит, люди пьют кофе. В городе много машин, на въезде в Харьков и вовсе пробка. Движение регулируется вручную, поскольку не работают светофоры. Жители пользуются генераторами, которые купили ранее. Наверное, город уже привык к разным вызовам. Харьков не сломать!»
Служба новостей ООН/Роман Шахматенко
«Основная наша задача сейчас – разработать экстренно систему подачи электроэнергии для критической инфраструктуры, от которой зависит подача воды и тепла людям, работа городской канализации, – рассказывает специалист ПРООН. – Из-за последних ракетных обстрелов сильно пострадали трансформаторные станции, город не получает электроэнергию от центров генерации».
«В энергосистеме есть три основных составляющих, – объясняет Роман Шахматенко. – Генерация (производство электроэнергии), трансмиссия (ее передача, то есть – подстанции, трансформаторы, которые преобразовывают энергию из высокого тока в низкий) и далее – дистрибьюция (распределение энергии среди пользователей)».
«Основная проблема в том, что в Украине энергосистема еще советского типа – электроэнергия производится в одном месте и далее передается к потребителям. То есть, если выбивает один автотрансформатор (учитывая их небольшое количество), то далее можно “положить” всю систему. То есть, энергосистема очень уязвимая из-за того, что она централизованная. Поэтому наша еще одна важная задача сейчас – децентрализация энергосистемы. Харькову нужно создать свой “энергоостров”, чтобы в будущем больше не было таких проблем. Для этого город должен быть полностью обеспечен своими мощностями, для генерации электроэнергии непосредственно на месте. Как раз над этим мы сейчас и работаем совместно с мэрией города», – говорит специалист ПРООН.
Служба новостей ООН/Р. Шахматенко
Энергоэффективность (разумное и экономное использование энергоресурсов) – ее одна важная цель, в достижении которой ПРООН также будет помогать. «Старая советская инфраструктура потребляет много электроэнергии. Если это потребление уменьшить, то и с генерацией будет проще, – говорит Роман. – Мы сейчас анализируем ситуацию. Пока что не везде до конца разобраны завалы. Город частично выручают генераторы, которые были закуплены ранее. Часть из них когда-то были привезены нами».
Ранее, совместно с Европейским союзом, правительствами Японии, Норвегии, Исландии, Швеции, Германии и Руспублики Корея ПРООН уже поставлял критическое оборудование в Украину – автотрансформаторы и газовые турбины.
«В первую очередь наши усилия были брошены на то, чтобы восстановить передачу электроэнергии (трансмиссию). Во всей энергосистеме в Украине было порядка 90-та трансформаторов. Половину повредили или уничтожили. И теперь международные организации помогают с тем, чтобы закупить новые, – делится специалист ПРООН. – Будем искать такие возможности и сейчас».
Elliot is an award-winning journalist passionate about international affairs and humanitarian causes. Elliot has covered stories from conflict zones and areas devastated by disasters, highlighting critical global issues.
How is the UN helping to restore the electricity supply in Kharkiv after the recent attack? Are there any long-term plans in place to prevent such incidents in the future?
The UN team, led by Roman Shakhmatenko, has been actively involved in the restoration efforts in Kharkiv following the devastating energy attack. They have been working closely with local authorities to assess the damage and have already managed to restore nearly half of the city’s electricity supply within a day. In the near future, the authorities promise to fully restore power across the city and urge residents to use electricity wisely and be prepared for potential restrictions during peak hours. Despite the challenges, Roman highlights that life in Kharkiv goes on, with people going about their daily routines amidst the adversity. The city is resilient and adapting to the circumstances, with residents utilizing generators and manual traffic control to keep things running smoothly.
“The morning (Friday, March 22) didn’t start with coffee. News of mass shelling of the power system. Blackout in Kharkiv. Calls from our partners in local government – and we were there with the team in five hours – working on assessing the damage from the most extensive rocket attack by Russia on Ukraine during the entire full-scale invasion and on solving the city’s new problems,” – says Roman Shakhmatenko, head of the “Energy and Environment” direction at UNDP in Ukraine.
Kharkiv was completely without power. Mobile communication almost completely disappeared because the cell towers were not working for the operators. Within a day, the local authorities managed to restore electricity supply by almost half,” he adds. Authorities promise to provide electricity to the entire city in the near future, and ask local residents to use electricity economically and be prepared for corresponding restrictions during peak hours (special power cut schedules have been developed). “Despite everything, Kharkiv continues to live,” says Roman. “If you look at the city during the day or in the evening, you wouldn’t say there are any major problems. The sun is shining, people are drinking coffee. There are many cars in the city, there is even a traffic jam at the entrance to Kharkiv. Traffic is manually controlled as traffic lights are not working. Residents are using generators they bought earlier. Perhaps the city is already used to different challenges.”
“That morning (Friday, March 22) didn’t start with coffee. News of massive power grid shelling. Blackout in Kharkiv. Calls from our partners in local government – and our team was there in five hours – working on assessing the damage from the most extensive missile attack by Russia on Ukraine during the entire full-scale invasion and on solving the city’s new problems,” says Roman Shakhmatenko, head of the “Energy and Environment” direction of UNDP in Ukraine.
“We certify it. The whole city was de-energized. Almost all mobile communication was lost because the towers were not functioning. Within a day, local authorities managed to restore electricity supply by almost half,” he adds. Authorities promise to ensure power supply throughout the city in the near future, and ask local residents to use electricity efficiently and be prepared for corresponding restrictions during peak hours (special schedules for power outages have been developed). “Despite everything, Kharkiv continues to live,” says Roman. “If you look at the city during the day or in the evening, you wouldn’t say there are any major problems. The sun is shining, people are drinking coffee. The city is full of cars, there is even traffic jam at the entrance to Kharkiv. Traffic is manually controlled as traffic lights are not working. Residents are using generators they bought earlier. Perhaps the city has already gotten used to different challenges.”
How is the UN assisting in restoring power in Kharkiv after the energy attack by Russia? Are there any long-term solutions being discussed?
The UN team, along with local authorities, has been swift in assessing and working on repairing the damage caused by the energy attack in Kharkiv. Almost half of the city’s power supply has been restored within a day. The focus is on ensuring electricity supply throughout the city soon, urging residents to use it efficiently and prepare for possible restrictions during peak hours. Despite the challenges, life in Kharkiv goes on, with people adapting with generators and manual traffic control. The city remains resilient in the face of adversity.
“That morning (Friday, March 22) didn’t start with coffee. News of massive attacks on the energy system. In Kharkiv, there was a blackout. Calls from our partners in local government – and five hours later, we and the team were there – working on assessing the damage from the most extensive missile attack by Russia on Ukraine during the entire full-scale invasion and solving the city’s new problems,” says Roman Shakhmatenko, head of the Energy and Environment direction at UNDP in Ukraine.
” The whole city was left without power. Almost all mobile communication was lost because the operators’ towers were not working. Within a day, local authorities managed to restore electricity supply by almost half,” he adds. Authorities promise to restore power supply throughout the city soon, and ask local residents to use electricity sparingly and be prepared for corresponding restrictions during peak hours (special power cut schedules have been developed). “Despite everything, Kharkiv continues to live,” says Roman. “If you look at the city during the day or in the evening, you wouldn’t say there are any major problems. The sun is shining, people are having coffee. There are many cars in the city, there’s even traffic at the entrance to Kharkiv. Traffic is manually controlled as traffic lights are not working. Residents use generators they bought earlier. Maybe the city is already used to different challenges”
“The situation in Kharkiv is truly devastating. It’s heart-wrenching to hear about the massive energy attacks causing blackouts and chaos. I commend the efforts of Roman Shakhmatenko and the team for swiftly assessing the damage and working on solutions. The resilience of the city is inspiring amidst such adversity.”
That morning (Friday, March 22) didn’t start with coffee. News of massive energy system shelling. Blackout in Kharkiv. Calls from our partners in local government – and five hours later we are there – working on assessing the damage from the most extensive missile attack by Russia on Ukraine during the entire full-scale invasion and on solving the city’s new problems,” says Roman Shakhmatenko, head of the “Energy and Environment” direction of UNDP in Ukraine.
“The resilience of the people in Kharkiv is truly inspiring. Despite the major energy crisis caused by the recent attacks, the community continues to strive for normalcy. It’s heartwarming to see how they pull together in times of adversity.”
“That morning (Friday, March 22) did not start with coffee. News of massive energy system shelling. Blackout in Kharkiv. Calls from our partners in local government – and five hours later, our team was there – working on assessing the damage from the most extensive missile attack by Russia on Ukraine during the entire full-scale invasion and on solving the city’s new problems,” says Roman Shakhatenko, head of the “Energy and Environment” direction at UNDP in Ukraine. The entire city was without power. Mobile communication was almost completely lost because the towers were not working. Within a day, local authorities managed to restore electricity supply to almost half,” he adds. Authorities promise to ensure power supply throughout the city in the near future, and local residents are asked to use electricity economically and be prepared for corresponding restrictions during peak hours (special schedules for power outages have been developed). “Despite everything, Kharkiv continues to live,” says Roman. “If you look at the city during the day or in the evening, you wouldn’t say there are any major problems. The sun is shining, people are drinking coffee. There are many cars in the city, and there’s even a traffic jam at the entrance to Kharkiv. Traffic is being manually controlled because traffic lights are not working. Residents are using generators they bought earlier. Perhaps the city has already adapted to different
How is the UN planning to ensure the sustainable restoration of power in Kharkiv amidst the ongoing crisis caused by the energy attack from Russia?
The UN is closely coordinating with local authorities to ensure the sustainable restoration of power in Kharkiv. Efforts are focused on repairing the damaged energy infrastructure and implementing measures to prevent future disruptions. Our priority is to support the city’s residents during this challenging time and to minimize the impact of the energy crisis on their daily lives.
How is the UN planning to address the ongoing energy crisis in Kharkiv following the recent attack? What measures are being taken to ensure the restoration of power across the city?