How Ukraine’s power system is coping in the face of Russian strikes
On October 14, Maksim Timchenko, the CEO of DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private power generator, updated Economichna Pravda on the status of Ukraine’s electrical grid in the face of Russian strikes against the country’s power installations. He also talked about what the company’s future plans are for implementing renewables, despite the Russian attacks. DTEK shared that interview today with Electrek, and we have edited the English translation sent to us below for length and clarity.
Economichna Pravda: Looking at Ukraine’s entire energy system, how much capacity was there before the October 10 strikes in the country, and how much is left now?
Maksim Timchenko: It is important to understand the difference between the capacity that is left and the capacity that is still available. These strikes are not aimed at generating facilities to prevent us from producing electricity but at connection systems tied to the Ukrainian energy system. They hit open switchgears, transformers, switches, so that a station that can produce electricity cannot be connected to the unified power system. That is, the key targets are Ukrenergo transformer high-voltage substations and power distribution equipment at thermal power plants.
What [are] the tactics behind this? Since Soviet times, we have built unified energy systems so that if one of the generation flows fails at some part of the system, another one picks it up. That is, everything is looped and we work in a single system. In Soviet times, a power system scheme was built, where everything is set up for similar events that are happening today.
I think the Russian military [consults] their power engineers and they explain how to cause maximum harm to the energy system.
When Ukrenergo’s 750 kilowatt nodal substations, which connect the regions where the generation facilities are located get hit, then a surplus is obtained in one region, and a deficit in another. They hit these substations. This is exactly what happened on Monday and Tuesday. Yesterday morning [July 13 – EP] they struck to prevent supply of electricity to Kyiv.
Economichna Pravda: How many megawatts or as a percentage of the total number of capacities have been taken down?
Maksim Timchenko: From the point of view of generation, we [have] capacities that are destroyed and those that are occupied. The biggest deprivation of capacity is the seizure of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant. Today, 6,000 megawatts are not available. This is the most difficult situation.
Speaking of our thermal power plants: We have lost control over the Uglegorsk [thermal power] station, and the Lugansk, and the Zaporizhzhya thermal power plant, which is next to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station [Editor’s note: It’s the largest nuclear power plant in Europe]. Three thermal power plants and one nuclear power plant are located [in] the temporarily occupied territories and cannot produce electricity for the country.
Second, regarding the power output, the Ladyzhynska [thermal power] station in the Vinnitsa region, which was also hit this week, [is not in operation] today. We are working to put it back into operation. The rest of the thermal power plants are operating.
Economichna Pravda: It is about 10,000 megawatts.
Maksim Timchenko: Yes. 6,000 – Zaporizhzhia [nuclear power station], Uglegorsk, and Zaporizhzhia – 1,200 each. All together up to 10,000 megawatts out of 50,000 megawatts. In general, the country runs on about 52,000 megawatts.
Economichna Pravda: When a minister or ministry says that 30% of the power industry is out of operation, can you say that this is misinformation?
Maksim Timchenko: I certainly don’t want to challenge the minister’s statement. [I]t can be perceived in different ways. “Out of operation” in terms of the fact that we have lost connection systems – [that] is correct. That is, if we do not have connections with generating stations, as I said, then we have lost 30% of the capacity when it comes to the process of energy delivery to the consumer.
Why were the rolling blackouts implemented? Because the power that was produced could not be delivered to the grids. In this regard, he was probably right. From the point of view of the availability of capacities in working condition, I outlined the picture for you.
[…]
There is enough own capacity within Ukraine to get through the winter and for normal operation. The problem is the hits and damage done to the infrastructure that allows this power to be provided.
Economichna Pravda: If our Russian “friends” smash the capacities, and not the output of capacities, then the energy system will be without thermal generation. Is nuclear generation capable of operating under such circumstances?
Maksim Timchenko: Firstly, we have Ukrhydroenergo [a state company that administers hydro power plants]. Hydroelectric power plays an important balancing role. Secondly, along the lines that electricity [is exported] to the EU, imports can also be carried out. Accordingly, this can also play a role in power balancing.
We are not stopping our battery storage installation project. [W]e still plan to bring and install 20 megawatts of storage capacity. This battery storage will also play an important role in balancing. It may not be such a large volume, but in this situation it is important.
Therefore, I believe that we cannot have some kind of Armageddon, a situation where everything will be broken, and we will end up having a total blackout. I don’t believe [we will have] this scenario. Although I did not believe in a war with Russia. Everything is possible, but based on how we have performed and how the system has performed in terms of sustainability, I have confidence that we will cope with these challenges. Again, in conjunction with the military.
I rely heavily on Ukrainian Air Defense Forces. Still, even with such a massive attack, more than 50% of the missiles have been shot down. These are certain lessons for us and for the military, how to deal with such situations.
Economichna Pravda: There is an opinion that the nuclear power generation infrastructure will also be destroyed and thus thousands of megawatts will be “extinguished.” Do I understand correctly that if such a scenario is implemented, then we have the technical capabilities and agreements with Europe to take electricity from them?
Maksim Timchenko: Yes. Firstly, my personal comment: These Russians, perhaps, still have enough brains with their conditionally high-precision weapons not to hit nuclear power plants, because you can miss and hit the block. I hope that they will not destroy the infrastructure of nuclear power plants. But nothing can be a certainty with this madness.
Yes, there are technical possibilities, there are agreements, there are financial issues, and they are still being discussed in terms of paying for electricity. You know, in our country [it’s] 4-5 times cheaper than in Europe, and the delivery will, of course, be at the level of European prices.
Economichna Pravda: The other day we saw a message from the head of DTEK Dnipro Electric Grids. He was looking for generators. Do people need to buy electric generators?
Maksim Timchenko: I don’t want to inspire any false calm. We live in the times of highest uncertainty. And, frankly, if it is possible to buy a generator, then it is better to buy [one]. If we take a sober look at the situation that is happening now, it is better to have reserve capacities.
…
Economichna Pravda: Do you agree with the statement that this war will last for years? If so, then [will you] change the group’s strategy in terms of at least diversifying your businesses to other countries [on] the European continent?
Maksim Timchenko: Yesterday I [held] a job interview – we still hire people to work for important positions in the company. And … the candidate [asked]: I watched your corporate strategy 2030 [New Strategy DTEK 2030], what has changed in it? My answer was: Fundamentally nothing has changed.
The priority for the development of green generation remains. It was very important for me to hear the president’s position that it is necessary to create a “green hub” in Ukraine to supply electricity to Europe, and help Europe get away from over-dependence on Russian energy resources.
We have all the possibilities for this: grid access, favorable topography, wind, sun, and experience. We said that we would [make] green generation a priority, and we are not giving up on this.
In the same strategy, we [addressed] our international development. … The first plans for our investments abroad were laid down. And, in accordance with this strategy, we continue to do so. Today we are implementing projects for the construction of wind and solar stations. As part of these projects, we want to develop an entire ecosystem of solar and wind power plants, including those with energy storage systems.
Read more: Ukraine is now using these 200-mile-range electric bikes with NLAW rockets to take out Russian tanks
Photo: DTEK
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“We are excited to see this project begin as it underscores our dedication to delivering clean, reliable and affordable energy to our customers,” said Karl Hoesly, President, Xcel Energy-Wisconsin and Michigan. “This project is an important step in those goals while bringing significant economic benefits to Polk County and the local townships.”
Electrek reported in February that Xcel Energy, Minnesota’s largest utility, expects to cut more than 80% – and possibly up to 88% – of its emissions by 2030, putting it on track to hit Minnesota’s goal of net zero by 2040. It also says it’s on track to achieve its clean energy goals for all the Upper Midwest states it serves – Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Michigan.
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Tesla has announced that it will finally deliver 500 kW charging as it is about to install its long-awaited V4 Supercharger cabinets.
The rollout of Supercharger V4 has been a strange one, to say the least.
Tesla has been deploying the new charging stations for two years and calling them “Supercharger V4”, but it has only been deploying the charging stalls.
Supercharger stations are made of two main parts: the stalls, which are where the charging cable is located, and the cabinets, which are generally located further back and include all the power electronics.
For all these new “Supercharger V4”, Tesla was actually using Supercharger V3 cabinets. This has been limiting the power output of the charging stations to 250 kW – although
Today, Tesla officially announced its “V4 Cabinet”, which the automaker claims will enable of “delivering up to 500kW for cars and 1.2MW for Semi.”
Here are the main features of the V4 Cabinet as per Tesla:
- Faster charging: Supports 400V-1000V vehicle architectures, including 30% faster charging for Cybertruck. S3XY vehicles enjoy 250kW charge rates they already experience on V3 Cabinet — charging up to 200 miles in 15 minutes.
- Faster deployments: V4 Cabinet powers 8 posts, 2X the stalls per cabinet. Lower footprint and complexity = more sites coming online faster.
- Next-generation hardware: Cutting-edge power electronics designed to be the most reliable on the planet, with 3X power density enabling higher throughput with lower costs.
Tesla reports that its first sites with the new V4 Cabinets are going into permitting now. The company expects its first sites to open next year.
We recently reported about Tesla’s new Oasis Supercharger project, which includes larger solar arrays and battery packs to operate the charging station mostly off-grid.
Early in the deployment of the Supercharger network, Tesla promised to add solar arrays and batteries to all Supercharger stations, and Musk even said that most stations would be able to operate off-grid.
While Tesla did add solar and batteries to a few stations, the vast majority of them don’t have their own power system or have only minimal solar canopies.
Back in 2016, I asked Musk about this, and he said that it would now happen as Tesla had the “pieces now in place” with Supercharger V3, Powerpack V2, and SolarCity:
It took about 8 years, but it sounds like the pieces are now getting actually in place with Supercharger V4, Megapacks, and this new Oasis project.
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Hyundai has a new secret weapon it’s about ready to unleash. To revamp the brand in China and counter BYD’s surge, Hyundai is launching a new AI-powered EV next year. The new model will be Hyundai’s first dedicated electric car for the world’s largest EV market.
With the help of Haomo, a Chinese autonomous startup, Hyundai will launch its first EV equipped with generative AI. It will also be its first model designed specifically for China.
A Hyundai Motor official said (via The Korea Herald) the company is “working to load the software” onto the new EV model, “which will be released in the Chinese market next year.” The spokesperson added, “The level of autonomous driving is somewhere between 2 and 2.5.”
In comparison, Tesla’s Autopilot is considered a level 2 advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) on the SAE scale (0 to 5), meaning it offers limited hands-free features.
With Autopilot, you still have to keep your eyes on the road and hands on the steering wheel, or the system will notify you and eventually disengage.
Haomo’s system, DriveGPT, unveiled last spring, takes inspiration from the OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT.
The system can continuously update in real-time to optimize decision-making by absorbing traffic data patterns. According to Haomo, DriveGPT is used in around 20 models as it looks to play a bigger role in China.
Hyundai hopes new AI-powered EV boosts sales in China
Electric vehicle sales continue surging in China. According to Rho Motion, China set another EV sales record last month with 1.2 million units sold, up 50% from October 2023.
Over 8.4 million EVs were sold in China in the first ten months of 2024, a notable 38% increase from last year.
BYD continues to dominate its home market. According to Autovista24, BYD accounted for 32.9% of all PHEV and EV (NEV) sales in China through September, with over half of the top 20 best-selling EV models.
Tesla was second with a 6.5% share of the market, but keep in mind these numbers only include plug-in models (PHEV).
Like most foreign automakers, Hyundai is struggling to keep up with the influx of low-cost electric models in China. Beijing Hyundai’s sales have been slipping since 2017. Through September, Korean automaker’s share of the Chinese market fell to just 1.2%.
Last month, Hyundai opened its first overseas digital R&D center in China to help kick off its return to the region.
According to local reports, Hyundai is partnering with other local tech companies like Thundersoft, a smart cockpit provider, and others in China to power up its next-gen EVs
With its first AI-powered EV launching next year, Hyundai hopes to turn things around in the region quickly. The new model will be one of five to launch in China through 2026.
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