Electricity imports to Ukraine rise sharply after Russian attacks

Daily electricity imports to Ukraine are rising and are expected to reach their highest level since the start of the year today. The reason is a series of Russian missile attacks on critical infrastructure, which caused power outages in many regions. Reuters reported this, citing Ukraine’s energy ministry.

The attacks, the largest of which took place last Friday, caused extensive damage to electricity generation and transmission facilities. They also prompted Kyiv to halt electricity exports.

Electricity imports are now expected to reach 18.649 megawatt-hours (MWh) today. On Sunday, they stood at 14.900 MWh. The day before the first wave of Russian attacks, on 22 March, Ukraine had instead exported 3300 MWh.

Ukraine was connected to the European Union’s unified grid at the start of Russia’s invasion in late February 2022. According to Ukrainian power company Ukrenergo, imports come from Romania, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and Moldova.

Ukraine has a large civilian nuclear power sector. Before Russia’s invasion and subsequent occupation of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, it was a net exporter of electricity.

Moscow says Ukrainian energy facilities are legitimate targets and that the attacks are aimed at weakening the Ukrainian army. Russia says the latest strikes are retaliation for Ukrainian attacks that overshadowed Vladimir Putin’s re-election as Russian president.

The Ukrainian military has recently stepped up its drone attacks on Russian refineries. It has also targeted oil terminals and storage facilities. According to a Reuters calculation, 14 percent of Russia’s total refining capacity is currently offline as a result of Ukrainian attacks.