To ensure uninterrupted communication in Ukraine during blackouts, power equal to the power unit of a nuclear power plant is required

Mobile communication / Illustrative photo

Ukrainian mobile operators Kyivstar, Vodafone and lifecell stated that it is extremely difficult to ensure complete autonomy of communication and the Internet during blackouts. After all, in order to fulfill the new requirements, «it is necessary to use the power of, in fact, one power unit of the nuclear power plant.»

This is stated in a joint statement of the operators, Forbes reports. It is noted that in order to equip 100% of base stations with batteries and generators by February 1, 2025, as required by the new rules, it is necessary to purchase relevant equipment and fuel for more than 13 billion hryvnias.

At the same time, it is emphasized, in order to fulfill the requirements, the operators need an uninterrupted supply of electricity during the time required to fully charge the batteries. And for this, we need permits from Oblenergo to increase capacity.

At the same time, it is emphasized, about 2.8 GWh of electricity per day is needed to charge the batteries that will power the base stations for 10 hours.

«For this, it is necessary to use the power of essentially one power unit of the NPP,» the statement reads.

In addition, Kyivstar, Vodafone and lifecell said that they need to hire additional people to meet the requirements. After all, the current number of personnel for these purposes is not enough.

«According to rough estimates, tens of thousands of workers need to be hired additionally,» they explained.

Also, it is noted, there are other problems that make it difficult to fulfill the assigned tasks within the given time. In particular, it is:

• Building and sanitary standards.

They prohibit the installation of generators and batteries on the roofs of buildings where most base stations are located.

• Not enough batteries and generators on the market.

In this regard, they will have to be purchased abroad. However, due to complicated logistics, delivery time will be longer than usual.

• A lengthy procedure for leasing state and communal property — to expand the area needed for additional battery cabinets.

«The expansion of leased space requires participation in auctions on Prozorro and takes an average of 6 months,» the statement said.

In addition, operators stated that during blackouts the load of base stations increases in some places by 3-4 times. Which affects the speed and quality of the Internet, and sometimes its availability — since voice communication is a higher priority.

«During blackouts, it is impossible to ensure the quality indicators referred to in the order,» they summarized.

It will be recalled that Yurii Boiko, adviser to the prime minister on energy issues, said that the next three months Ukrainians can live without blackouts at all or with minimal restrictions on electricity.

Shelling of the energy sector in the spring of 2024

On March 22, Russia carried out the first massive shelling of energy infrastructure facilities this year. The Russian army attacked Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih, Khmelnytskyi, Poltava Oblast, Vinnytsia Oblast, Lviv Oblast, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Mykolaiv Oblast, Odesa and other regions of Ukraine.

The biggest was the attack on the Dnipro hydroelectric power plant (HPP) in Zaporizhzhia. This is one of the largest and most powerful hydraulic structures in Ukraine. A rocket attack on the Dnipro HPP resulted in damage to two stations and a dam that are part of its structure.

Oleksandr Kharchenko, director of the Energy Research Center, says that by winter, Ukraine needs to restore at least 25-30% of the damaged heat generation: «We need to fully involve imports. Also, before winter, we need to restore as much as possible from coal generation, from hydro generation, and to build facilities in gas generation as much as possible.»

At the same time, according to the Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko, it is not appropriate to make any predictions about the difficulty of the next winter for the energy industry of Ukraine. In his opinion, now no one will be able to say with which generation Ukraine will end up in the winter: «Actually, everything looks comforting, because the system, despite the Russian strikes, is intact.»

The BBC predicts that Ukrainians can spend up to 20 hours a day without electricity or heating in winter.

In addition, on the night of June 22, the Russians launched missile attacks on critical infrastructure facilities in various regions of Ukraine. As a result of anti-aircraft combat, 25 air targets were shot down, but energy facilities in Zaporizhzhia and Lviv regions were still damaged. Also, as a result of an enemy attack on one of the objects, two energy workers were injured.