By KYIV. Nov 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The damage caused to the power distribution infrastructure of JSC Mykolaivoblenergo as a result of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has reached UAH 500 million, the shortage of transformer oil is estimated at 100 tonnes, Acting Director General of Mykolaivoblenergo Vadym Danylkiv has said in an interview with the Voice of America radio and the Rada television channel on Monday.
"The damage caused to the energy infrastructure by the aggressor country’s shelling attacks is tentatively estimated at UAH 500 million. And that is without taking into account the losses caused to the territories that have been liberated last week. In addition, two company employees came under fire and suffered injuries," he said.
According to the official, more than 210 high-voltage overhead power lines and 66 transformer substations with a capacity of 6 to 150 kV were damaged as a result of hostilities since the beginning of the full-scale aggression. Also, Mykolaiv power engineers lost 12 specialized vehicles and had 48 vehicles badly damaged as a result of shelling attacks by the Russian occupation forces.
Danylkiv also said that today the region is facing a shortage of 100 tonnes of transformer oil.
The situation with the restoration of damaged energy infrastructure is complicated due to the fact that energy consumption by industrial enterprises in Mykolaiv region has dropped by 80% since February, hence, the energy company’s revenues decreased as well and currently it is able only to purchase fuel and pay rather small salaries to the employees.
This week, as soon as Mykolaivoblenergo receives permission from the military, the company will start assessing the condition of the power grid and restoring it in the recently de-occupied territories.
"The whole residential areas are in fact destroyed. There are neither communications nor settlements there, the population of many villages is ten to twenty people. We have resumed electricity supply where it was possible," Danylkiv said.
Mykolaivoblenergo has submitted its calculations and proposals on the improvement of the company’s financial condition to the National Commission for State Regulation of Energy and Public Utilities, he said.
