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Ukraine races to repair and protect its power plants after Russian attack

When a Russian attack plunged a Ukrainian thermal power plant into darkness on March 29, 51yearold Ihor did not have time to think.

He got a flashlight and made his way through the dust-filled control space to conserve remains of the system as the walls of the station fell, calling out to see if the other vital personnel had made it through the blast.

We are scared, like all normal individuals would be, but this is our work, said Ihor, who has been at the plant for 23 years.

Russia started a second significant attack on Ukraine's energy system last month, devastating a minimum of eight power plants and a number of dozen substations.

Kyiv says Russia utilized more than 150 missiles and 240 attack drones in a single week from March 22 - cutting off electricity, heating and even running water to 2 million Ukrainians, according to a parliamentary price quote.

The strength of the attacks, which have likewise targeted solar and hydro-electric power centers, forced Kyiv to import power and stimulated worries about the durability of an energy system that was hobbled by a Russian air project in the war's very first winter season.

Russia has stated the energy system is a genuine military target and described last month's attacks as vengeance strikes to penalize Ukraine for assaulting Russian border regions.

A complete collapse of the system that could cut off electrical energy and water products to towns and cities is not likely in the meantime, the head of nationwide grid company Ukrenergo Volodymyr Kudrytskyi informed last week.

Preventing energy system collapse depends mainly on quick repairs of facilities like the one checked out on Monday, where people in protective matches and construction hats operated in a vast hall filled with metal and concrete dislodged and twisted by an air strike.

To produce in the winter, we require to repair the structure building and construction, the roofing system, said Andriy whose household has actually worked at the plant for generations. [The devices] will freeze otherwise.

RACE TO REPAIR

The plant asked not to disclose its area and the surnames of its employees for security factors. A single system there could power some 10-15 villages, operators say, however a. March 22 attack stopped its energy production for the first time,. with current strikes damaging practically all of its devices.

The plant's personal operator DTEK has said its stations,. which meet about a quarter of Ukraine's energy needs, lost 80%. of their capacity in the attacks. The business informed it. want to restore a minimum of 50% of the losses in the next 4. months, with overall costs estimated at $230 million.

3 nuclear reactor offer most of Ukraine's. electrical power even after Russian troops took and inhabited the. six-reactor Zaporizhzhia facility, Europe's largest nuclear. plant, at the start of the invasion.

But the damage to Ukraine's thermal and hydro-electric. generation facilities is most likely to make it more difficult to navigate. ebbs and flows of need, energy authorities state.

And extra parts are hard to come by.

This equipment is not produced by any plants on Ukraine's. territory anymore, specifically considering that the majority of it came from the. Soviet Union, Andriy stated of the plant that began functioning. in late 20th century. We are doing everything in our power, and. beyond, to find replacements.

PATRIOTS, PATRIOTS, PATRIOTS

Safeguarding energy facilities and other crucial infrastructure. in a country the size of France while also safeguarding the front. is a significant challenge.

Confidence that this scenario will not be duplicated again. tomorrow is the most essential thing at the moment for us and. for the necessary staff who can't leave their office. despite rocket attacks, said Andriy.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other senior Kyiv. officials interest their allies and partners practically daily to. supply Ukraine with more air defences.

This year's Russian high-precision rocket attacks on power. generation possessions have dealt damage that takes longer to fix. than the strikes on transmission systems last year, said DTEK's. spokesperson, who decreased to be called.

Ihor put it starkly: They understand exactly what they are. targeting, he stated.

Zelenskiy stated Ukraine might cope using stockpiles for the. moment, but was already making hard options about what to. secure. His plea for 25 Patriot air defence systems on Saturday. followed months of Republic resistance to the passage of a major. U.S. military help package in Congress.

At the power plant, repair work goes on around the clock. in spite of the impending hazards. Another staff member, Oleh, said the. truth that Ukrainians had not quit kept him and others going.

The boys on the cutting edge are safeguarding our nation, he. said, and we are fighting here as much as we can..

(source: Reuters)