Ukrahydroenergo intends to restore some 1,000 megawatt of damaged capacity within half-year

MOSCOW. Dec 18 (Interfax) - Ukrhydroenergo plans to restore about 1,000 megawatt of damaged hydropower-generating capacity over the next half year.

"We lost around 2,500 megawatts. By now we have recovered 1,500 megawatts, the other 1,000 megawatts are at the stage of being recovered. I think we will recover in half year's time," the company's general director Igor Sirota was quoted by the Ukrainian media as saying on air during a nationwide TV marathon last Friday.

In all, Ukrhydroenergo lost around 2 billion kilowatt-hour of electricity generation per year and around 8 billion hryvnias, he said.

With the current electricity shortfalls in the power grid, Ukrhydroenergy produces 40 million kilowatt-hours per day, which makes up 15-20% of the country's energy balance and is practically correspondent with the level during a period of seasonal overflows, the CEO said.

"The proportion of hydropower generation has always averaged around 10% in the general energy system. However, that amounts to between 15% and 20% in summer periods and today, when we are plugging deficit. We are exceeding the November-December plan by more than 30%, which is abnormal for us. On some days, the electrical energy produced by hydropower plants and pumped storage power plants reaches 20-25% of our total energy balance," Sirota said.

It was reported that Ukrhydroenergo had ensured the introduction of 83 generating units with a combined capacity of 4,640 megawatts by the beginning of the 2023-2024 fall-winter season.