- Ukraine establishes a new power structure in the wake of the Russian invasion.
- The new power structure means increased flexibility for Ukraine’s energy system.
Grid operators in the Ukraine region have successfully decoupled Ukraine’s power system from Russia. The progress towards this feat was initiated as far back as 2014 when Russia made annexation of Crimea. Engineers have now been able to connect Ukraine to an electricity grid that is a central server to Europe.
ENTSO-E, a Belgium-based power systems operation company, representing a high proportion of system operators in Europe, reflected that the new development makes it possible that the Ukrainian and the Moldovian power systems will now remain stabilized.
Formerly, Moldova and Ukraine were part of the Integrated Power System, including Russia and neighboring Belarus. This arrangement left Ukraine dependent on Russia’s grid operator despite there being no electricity trade going on between both countries. However, the new structure now means that Ukraine can continue to receive electricity in the event that Russia continues to destroy the country’s power infrastructure.
According to Georg Zachmann, an expert with a Brussels-based think tank, the new structure of power interconnectivity between Ukraine and the neighboring countries will allow energy to be supplied to Ukraine from as far away as Portugal and Poland if there is a need for that to be done. It also presents an opportunity for Ukraine to export electricity from its Nuclear plant to the rest of Europe.