Ukraine avoids power shortage during heatwave thanks to thermal reserves, optimised nuclear maintenance – ex-energy minister
Ukraine managed to avoid an electricity shortage that could have led to power restrictions during the heat wave thanks to several thermal power units held in reserve, the optimization of maintenance schedules at nuclear power units, and a reduction in consumption since the beginning of 2026, former Energy Minister Olha Buslavets has said.
"When the heatwave hit, Ukraine had a surplus of electricity generation, thanks in part to having, as a rule, two or three thermal power units in reserve that could not be used to export electricity due to the SWAM environmental tax," she told Interfax-Ukraine.
In addition, since late July, JSC Energoatom has postponed the scheduled maintenance shutdown of another nuclear power unit, which had been operating at reduced capacity for some time while awaiting the return from maintenance of a counterpart unit.
"This was the right decision: the maintenance schedule was optimized to ensure there would be enough fuel for the extended period, with the aim of waiting for the compensating capacity of the other unit to come online," Buslavets said.
According to her, another factor contributing to the absence of an electricity shortage was the overall decline in consumption since the beginning of 2026, particularly due to businesses building generation capacity for their own use, and the shutdown of certain industrial enterprises ahead of the heatwave due to Russian attacks on port infrastructure and vessels. In particular, the Southern GOK and enterprises of the Ferrexpo Group suspended operations.
According to the former minister, in the first six months of this year, total electricity consumption in Ukraine's integrated power grid decreased by 6% compared to the same period last year, with industrial consumption falling by 13%.
Currently, seven out of nine nuclear power plant units located in unoccupied territories are operating in Ukraine's power grid; last week, one unit completed repairs while another unit entered scheduled maintenance.
As previously reported, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Denys Shmyhal stated in late July that Ukraine's power grid was being prepared for peak August loads resulting from hot weather and a 1 GW increase in electricity consumption.