Ukraine crisis: Russian strikes on nuclear substations could trigger total blackout
WHAT NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS MEAN FOR UKRAINE President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that Russia intends to deprive Ukraine of this energy by planning to hit substations that supply nuclear power to consumers, plunging the country into a complete blackout.Also Read: US, Ukraine, Russia officials to hold trilateral meeting in UAE: Zelenskyy at Davos Ukraine currently operates three nuclear power plants with a total capacity of 7.7 gigawatts. The fourth plant, Europe’s largest, Zaporizhzhia NPP, is occupied by Russia and not operating. The current generation deficit is about 10 gigawatts, which is only partially compensated for by imports, meaning authorities must implement large-scale rolling blackouts during which entire regions are left without power for hours. One industry source, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the subject, said nuclear generation was now providing up to 80% of the power consumed in Ukraine, which has virtually no other generating capacity left intact.
