Ukraine dismantles Kurakhove TPP in Donetsk region to repair other damaged power plants – WSJ
Photo: DTEK
This spring, the Kurakhove thermal power station in Kurakhove, Donetsk region, was dismantled to repair other damaged components of the energy infrastructure.
The Wall Street Journal writes about this.
Therefore, following a series of renewed attacks on the Ukrainian energy sector in the spring of 2024, the urgent need arose to dismantle the entire facility as quickly as possible, as it remained under continued shelling.
These are some of the essential components extracted from the TPP:
- generators;
- transformers;
- other crucial parts.
As the power plant director, Anatolii Borychevskyi, said, such a task was challenging, but he admitted: "We had no choice."
"People asked, 'How could you do that?' Then, there was no time to waste. The Russian troops were less than 4 miles away and coming closer and closer. All the workers set about the task of dismantling the power plant. The question was how to do it. We have never done this before," the TPP director said.
As reported by the WSJ, the station's equipment sustained severe damage, rendering much of it unusable and difficult to replace on the secondary market. Furthermore, destroying the bridge that provided coal to the power plant was another factor influencing the choice to dismantle the TPP.
This power facility could not function without it, and restoring its infrastructure was not in question.
The transportation of these objects was also complicated. The equipment weighed hundreds of tons but had to be transported by road since the only railway connection with the power plant was destroyed.
As Borychevskyi said, the transformers were so heavy that the hydraulic pushers used to move them broke, and the trucks often had flat tires.
Meanwhile, DTEK, the largest private investor in the Ukrainian energy industry, states that it is not giving up on this thermal power plant and assures that it will definitely be restored when the security situation allows.
For reference:
In the spring of 2024, Russian troops resumed shelling of Ukraine's energy sector. As a result of large-scale attacks, generating facilities were seriously damaged, in particular, several Ukrainian TPPs.
In the summer, the occupiers continued shelling. One of the largest combined strikes took place on August 26.
Energy infrastructure facilities in 15 regions of Ukraine were attacked. Due to significant damage, blackouts began to be introduced again in Ukraine.
Zelensky mentioned that the defense of Ukraine's energy facilities is being strategized at various levels. He emphasized the necessity of maintaining confidentiality from the enemy. The head of state noted that he "does not like energy PR" and asserted that the enemy will not be able to determine their success by disclosing the locations of their attacks.
In early September, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal stated that Russia was already getting ready for a fresh round of major attacks on the Ukrainian energy system. He predicted that the upcoming winter in Ukraine could be challenging.
The officials of the Zaporizhzhia region cannot dismiss the possibility of potential blackouts during winter due to enemy attacks. Residents are urged to make necessary preparations.
Despite possible problems with the energy supply, the survey shows that almost 90% of Ukrainians do not plan to leave their place of residence for the autumn-winter period.
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