Due to the unprecedented scale of damage to DTEK Energy's thermal generation from massive shelling, restoration work at the company's thermal power plants will continue throughout 2025 and beyond. This was announced by DTEK Energy CEO Oleksandr Fomenko at a press briefing at the Ministry of Energy to summarise the results of the 2024/2025 heating season.
According to him, last year, before the heating season started, the company's thermal power plants suffered 10 massive attacks that caused massive damage to equipment, buildings and structures. The shelling damaged or destroyed 90% of DTEK Energy's generation facilities. Thanks to the prompt work of the power engineers, we managed to restore more than half of what was lost before the winter. However, the strikes in November-December 2024 caused significant damage to the equipment that had already been restored.
He also reminded that the company lost control of Kurakhivska TPP due to the hostilities, in addition to Luhanska and Zaporizka TPPs occupied in 2022. However, the power engineers managed to dismantle and transport the main equipment of Kurakhivska TPP in time. It is now being used to restore other TPPs and helped maintain their operations during the autumn and winter period.
‘Despite the unprecedented challenges, we have done everything possible to prepare for and ensure the reliable completion of this heating season. In total, almost 4,000 power engineers and repairmen of the company were involved in eliminating the aftermath of massive attacks and recovery efforts last year,' said Mr Fomenko. - ‘Thanks to our well-coordinated work, we have already gone through three difficult winters, but we should not expect the next one to be easy. Therefore, we are working now to prepare for it. We need to understand that the scale of damage caused by the shelling is still enormous. That is why the reconstruction will continue throughout this year and beyond.’
Mr Fomenko stressed that the main thing behind all this was and remains people, the daily work of thousands of power engineers. He cited examples of power engineers at thermal power plants and power grids who, despite the shelling and danger, extinguished fires, rescued critical equipment, carried out repair and restoration work, and returned electricity to people.
Since the start of the full-scale war, 76 power engineers of DTEK Energy's thermal power plants and DTEK Grids have been injured while performing their professional duties, and 6 have been killed.
For reference
In 2024, russia committed 13 massive attacks on the Ukrainian energy sector, inflicting a serious blow to DTEK Energy's thermal power plants. In total, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the company's TPPs have been attacked by the enemy 205 times.
To prepare for the 2024/2025 heating season, DTEK Energy invested UAH 3.6 billion in the restoration of TPPs and another UAH 7.5 billion in Ukrainian coal mining last year.